Two Halves
by xoxocaitt
Summary: Ted was always part something and never whole anything. I think it annoys him a bit to be honest. I've always been grateful for it though, it's what holds the two of us together…because I'm the same way. But its okay, because we have each other.
1. Best Friends

**A/N: Hi all, I'm back...as promised! Here's the first revised chapter of Two Halves, even if you've read all current chapters, I would suggest re-reading all the revised chapters to come as important stuff will have been changer. Anyways, I hope you like the improvments, much love to all of you who have stuck with this!**

**Love, Caiti.**

"RIE!" Very slowly, I opened my eyes and peered out of the corners. Seeing only light, I rolled back over in my bed and decided that I must be hearing things. Because it could only be about seven thirty in the morning and no one in my family was daft enough to make an attempt at waking me up so early. Even James and Freddie knew that…though they learned that lesson the hard way a few years back.

"RIE!" There was no way I could be hearing things. The voice was right next to me now, loud and way too hyper for such an early hour. I peeked back out around my room and caught a flash of turquoise as they moved closer…Teddy. What an idiot.

"Go away," I mumbled groggily, pulling a yellow pillow over the back of my head. The mattress shifted as my best friend crawled over next to me in the bed and jabbed me in the stomach.

"Victoire, it's time to wake up now," he said happily, poking me again.

"Go away Ted or I'll shove you in the lake on a Hogsmeade weekend and let the sea monster eat you," I threatened. I threw my arm to the side, hoping to smack him in the nose…but my arm flopped back down before I could move it even an inch.

"Rie, we both know that the sea monster would throw me right back out. It would never, ever eat me…I'm far too charming."

"Go away," I tried again, hugging the pillow closer to my head. "I'm trying to sleep Ted!"

"Victoirrrrrrrrrrrrre," he whined. The bed shifted again as he sat up. "You have to get up. We've only got today and tomorrow and then we're back at school."

"We still have tomorrow, so let me sleep another hour."

"No!" He stood up and began to bounce up and down on my bed, sending my body flying in the air every time landed. "Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" Who the hell did he think he was anyway, Lily? Maybe my eight year old cousin could come and jump on my bed, but definitely not my seventeen year old best friend. The whole room shook with each jump for Merlin's sake!

"Grow up!" I shouted, burying my face in the soft yellow cotton of my pillow as I was thrown in the air once more. "Ted seriously! You're going to snap my bed in two!"

"Then get up!"

The white door on the opposite wall slammed open. I peeked out from under the pillow to see Dad standing in the doorway. I could tell by his expression that he was not happy that two teenagers that were making such a, as my grandmum would put it, racket in the morning. Teddy stopped jumping.

"The bloody hell are you two doing up here, dueling?" He ran a hand through his short red hair; obviously Nana Molly had found her scissors again. "The whole house is shaking, your mum's heart nearly stopped!"

"Sorry Bill," Teddy apologized quickly.

"Daaaaaaad!" my voice was rather whiny now, but I knew that would only help when it came to Dad. I was sixteen years old, but that didn't stop him from making it known that I would always be his little girl, and he spoiled me endlessly. If you threw my mum into the equation I was spoiled rotten, not that I minded much. "Make him go away."

"Get off her Ted," Dad laughed. "You're far too old to be jumping on that bed young man."

"Isn't that kind of an oxymoron or something Bill?" Ted asked, trying not to laugh. "You said I was old and then young!"

"Teddy…"

"I get what you're saying though Bill!" Teddy said quickly. "But I swear I was just following orders, Fleur told me to wake Victoire up." I rolled my eyes; Teddy always found an excuse for everything.

"Whatever you say Ted," Dad grinned. "But no more jumping on the bed and Victoire it's almost ten so you really should be getting up." I lifted up my head, messy golden waves falling into my eyes as I did so; this action was enough to convince my father that I was getting out of bed. But once he pulled the door shut behind him, I flopped back down like a wet noodle.

"You heard Bill, Victoire," Teddy said, yanking a soft blue blanket out of my reach. "Time to get up."

I ignored him.

"Don't make me do it Rie," he threatened. I turned back on my side and curled up into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest. "All right, just remember that you could have prevented this." He started jumping again.

"ONE LITTLE TEDDY JUMPING ON THE BED..."

"He fell off and bumped his HEAD!" I finished, flipping over and karate kicking my best friend while he was airborne.

Ted sailed across the room, letting out a string of swear words that would put Nana Molly into shock, and later wash his mouth out with soap if she had heard him. His head slammed against the door, making a nice thud sound to my delight. I really couldn't help it, I busted out laughing.

"Shut up Victoire," he spat, rubbing the newly formed lump on his head. "It's not funny."

"Your hair just turned five different colors!" I laughed, clutching my sides as I rolled around.

"I said shut it!"

"Nope!"

"All right," he said evilly. "You asked for it!" Teddy whipped out an old water gun from behind his back. Before I could even wonder where he got the muggle toy, I was being blasted in the face with its ammunition.

"You're dead!" I screamed, lunging at him.

"Bye Rie!" he shouted, bolting out the door. "Don't forget! Fleur'll never let you out of this house without getting dressed first!"

One minute and fifty-three seconds later I was running down the rickety wooden stairs in an old, ripped up pair of denim shorts and my orange Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes t-shirt (James, Al, Roxie, Lucy and I were the only ones in the family who could wear the color.) My hair repeatedly smacked me in the face as I flew into the kitchen where my parents were currently eating breakfast.

"'Ere," Mum said, not bothering to look up. I snatched Grandad Arthur's newest water gun out of her hand and kissed her cheek quickly.

"Thanks Mum! See you later!" I yelled over my shoulder as I sprinted out the door, only to be hit in the face with water for the second time that morning. "AHH!"

Teddy was doubled over laughing; his hair a bright, sunny yellow to match his amused attitude. Yellow was been my favorite color, and it always made me smile. Ted knew this, and changed his hair that color often when I was upset, but watching him as he laughed at the fact that I was soaking wet, I just wanted to…

"GOTCHYA!" I whipped my own super soaker out and sprayed Teddy in the face before running past him into the sand dunes and across the beach. I heard him let out a shout, probably declaring war. A stream of water against my foot signaled that my friend was not far behind me. I made a quick turn, and sprinted back past him toward the dunes. Unluckily for me, Ted knew my home almost as well as I did… Unluckily for him, I still knew the area much better; which allowed me to corner him up on the edge of the cliff, with the muggle toy pointed right at his face.

"Truce?" he asked hopefully, lowering his water gun slightly.

"Are you completely mental?" I asked, shaking my head and trying to hold back a laugh. "I've got you bloody cornered and you want a truce?"

He grinned and then disappeared a second later with a loud pop.

I rolled me eyes as a chuckle came from behind me, I turned around quickly to find a smirking Teddy. "Show off," I muttered, sticking my tongue out at him.

He laughed and scooped me up off the ground, causing me to drop the water gun. I noticed the glint in his eye as he started to move us toward the edge of the cliff.

"Er, I've thought about it Ted and I realized that I would be happy to accept your truce!"

"You know Rie, I think I'm fine without the truce," he said with a grin.

"Teddy Remus Lupin, you better not toss me off the edge of this cliff," I warned, crossing my fingers behind his head that he wouldn't.

"Of course not Victoire," Teddy said sweetly, taking another step forward.

"Teddy…"

"Calm down Victoire," he said, seriously this time. "I promise that I won't throw you into the water."

"Swear?"

"Double swear," he promised. "However, I might do this!" He took off running and leaped into the air, with his arms still around me. I shrieked in surprise.

"Plug your nose!" He shouted, and then my feet hit water.

"Race you back to shore!" Ted called once I surfaced and then took off.

Maybe an hour or two later, I stretched out on one of the towels Ted had summoned from the house, letting the sun dry my clothes and hair. Besides flying, there was almost nothing I loved doing more than going for a swim and then laying out under the sun. Mum thought I was absolutely mental, but ever since Uncle George tossed me in the water when I was five I had been her petit poisson, her little fish.

There was just something about swimming, not like intense swimming that the muggles engaged in for competition, but just being in the water that was almost as magical as waving a wand. Nothing could touch me out there. I wasn't Victoire the Veela like at school. I wasn't "one of those Weasley kids", or Teddy Lupin's hot best friend. I was just, as as it sounds, me. Just Victoire, and Teddy would push me into the water if he could hear how barking mad I sounded.  
But sometimes it was nice to forget about everything they labeled me as, and Teddy knew how that felt better than anyone.

Teddy. How could I possibly explain Ted in a way other people would understand? Like his mum he's a Metamorphagi. He can change his appearance completely in about thirty seconds flat, which always leads to a good laugh when I'm feeling down. It also comes in handy during Quidditch matches when he shifts his hair color repeatedly to throw off the opposing players off. McGonnagall won't even listen to the complaints of the other houses, she says it doesn't really matter but we all know it's because she rather likes winning the cup each year.

Andromeda said Ted's mum used to shift appearance at dinners in order to make the others at the table laugh, so I 'spose he's like her in that way too…always wanting to make the rest of us laugh. Really useful when we have to attend those boring Ministry dinners with the adults.

Uncle Harry says Ted's a lot like his dad too; excelling in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, hanging out with troublemakers (I honestly have no idea why he always chooses to glance at me when he says this), plus Ted has always had a liking for rare meat…probably why he eats so bloody much whenever we have him 'round for dinner, which is almost always.

They're right when they say those things, Ted's dead smart, is always using his appearance to get a laugh and eats rare steak by the bucketload.

But he's more than all of those things too. Teddy was my best friend, we grew up together. He could be the most patient person in the world and also the quickest to anger. He's like that a lot; made up of so many different pieces that he has never seemed quite sure of who he was supposed to be. Part Lupin, part Tonks, part Potter…part Weasley even. He's never belonged to just one core family. His parents have been gone over seventeen years noem so he's always floated in between his grandmum and the Potter's…I liked to think he belongs to us Weasleys too. Part werewolf, but not all at the same time since his dad was one. Ted was always part something and never whole anything. I think it annoys him a bit to be honest. I've always been grateful for it though, it's what holds the two of us together…because I'm the same way. Part Weasley, part Delacour, half British, half French, part veela. Everyone pulling us in 10,000 different directions trying to see where we fit holds us together in a way that no one has ever been able to understand.

But it's okay, because not matter how incomplete we are, we've got each other.


	2. Al's Sweatsocks

"Morning Teddy, Victoire," Aunt Ginny called from the kitchen. Seven year-old Lily looked up from her picture and grinned.

"Teddy! Victoire!" She shouted. "Come color!"

Lily absolutely adored Ted and I, which never came as a big surprise. I was the oldest of the Weasley kids at sixteen (Katie followed at fifteen) and Lily was the baby, Hugo had 3 ½ months on her. She had always been stuck with James and Al (I admired her greatly for remaining sane after seven years with those two) and since Hugo was closest to her in age, she had been trapped within a group of boys her entire life. I had nine years on Lily, making me practically an adult in her eyes, and I apparently knew everything.

All kids loved Teddy; it was like they were programmed that way at birth, but Lily loved him the most. At seventeen years old, Ted was the oldest boy Lils knew who wasn't related to her. He could always cheer her up by changing his eyes and hair pink, followed by a pig snout. The guy was like Lily and Hugo's Superman, he could do anything.

"Teddy," Aunt Gin said once we were seated at the table on either side of Lily. "Could you actually go hang with James and Albus? I swear I heard explosions coming from Al's room a half an hour ago."

"Sure thing," Teddy grinned. "I'll go teach them how to soundproof the room so you can't hear!"

"You're hilarious Ted!" Aunt Ginny yelled as her Godson ran off and then turned to me. "I don't know how my mother ever managed not to strangle Fred and George, because I'm about to hex your cousins."

"What did they do this time?" I reached for a pink crayon to help Lily color her picture of a pygmy puff.

"George took them down to the shop last week with Hugo and Freddie. He then proceeded to tell them they had one minute to grab whatever the hel…"

"MOMMY!" Lily screeched, throwing her hands over her ears.

"Sorry Sweetie," Ginny said quickly, holding back a laugh. "He told them they had a minute to pick out whatever they wanted. Better?" She looked at her daughter who nodded in approval and returned to coloring.

"So they came home with a bunch of explosives?"

"I think, they also turned Lily orange yesterday and gave her a Nosebleed Nougat the day before."

"Why orange?"

"To match her hair."

"Geez."

"I know," she nodded. "I just don't know what to do with them."

"Well to be truthful Aunt Gin, their behavior was to be completely expected," I giggled. "They have George, Fred, and Ron for uncles, Uncle Harry for a dad, James Potter as their grandfather, and I guess Sirius would be thrown somewhere in there too. Plus, Dad told me you weren't exactly the most innocent child at school."

"Ugh, I guess you're right Rie," Aunt Gin sighed.

"VICTOIRE! That's the WRONG ONE!" Lily cried. She shoved a lime green crayon into my hand and pointed to the second pygmy puff on the page which was now half pink. "That one is supposed to be green. Then this one," she pointed to the one she was coloring, "is yellow. Like you, me, and Teddy!"

"Here," Aunt Gin waved her wand over the page, leaving the Teddy pygmy puff clear again.

"Thanks Mommy!"

I smiled gratefully at me aunt, before turning my attention back to Lily's picture.

"Morning!" Uncle Harry called as he burst into the kitchen.

"Hey Uncle Harry," I replied. "Where were you?"

"Ron and I were called in for an early meeting," he said, kissing Aunt Ginny's cheek.

"DADDY!" Lily shouted, standing up on the wooden chair. She waved the freshly colored paper in my uncle's face. "Look! Victoire and I colored this! They are mine, Teddy, and Victoire's colors!"

"It's beautiful Sweetheart."  
Lily beamed and plopped back down next to me.

"Where are the boys?" Harry asked, turning back to face Aunt Gin. Cue explosion.

"Does that answer your question?" Ginny replied, massaging her temples.

"What are they doing?" Cue second explosion.

"Being your children," I said. My uncle rolled his eyes.

"George let the boys, Hugo, and Freddie raid the stock at the store, which is why Lily was orange yesterday," Aunt Ginny said quickly. "Merlin only knows what those two are up to now. I sent Teddy up there almost twenty minutes ago to keep an eye on your sons." Explosion three!

"Well what the hel…"

"DADDY!" Lily shrieked, covering her ears again.

"Sorry sweetheart," Harry quickly said. "What are they exploding?"

Ginny shrugged. "Who knows?"

"I'll go check on them," I offered.

"Thank you Victoire that would be great."

I nodded and got up to leave. Lily tugged on my shirt.

"Victoire! Are we still going to Auntie Fluer and Uncle Bill's house later to sleepover?" she asked, her chocolate eyes hopeful.

"'Course we are Lils," I smiled. "I'll come pick you up later when I get Rose from Uncle Ron and Aunt 'Mione's house, okay?"

She nodded and pulled her Chudley Canon's coloring book (a gift from Uncle Ron of course) across the table. She flipped the book open and snatched up an orange crayon

-

_Knock. Knock._

"We aren't doing anything Mum! I swear!" James called through the door.

"James, its Victoire!" I yelled back. "Let me in!"

"Not a chance!" He shouted. "You'll tell Mum-AL!"

The door clicked open, revealing my ten-year-old cousin Albus. He grinned up at me, while James glared at the back of his brother's head.

"Thanks Al." I kissed his check quickly and smirked at James who shifted his glare to me once I plopped down on the bed. "Where's Teddy?"

I looked around Albus's bedroom. Different Quidditch posters covered the blue walls, mostly the Chudley Canons (geez, Uncle Ron is getting to these kids). Boxes of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes merchandise stood in the corner, James must've forced Al to keep them in here in case Aunt Gin decided to come upstairs. Little heaps of dirty clothes surrounded the boxes, like a ring of mountains around a wall, but Teddy was no where in sight.

"Secret!" James insisted.

I rolled my eyes and called, "Ted?"

"In here!" a muffled voice shouted from the closet.

"You locked him in the closet?!"

"Don't you dare let him out of there Victoire, or you can join him and Al's sweat socks!" James said quickly. I rolled my eyes again, like my thirteen year old cousin could do anything.

"James, why did you lock Teddy in the closet?"

"I. Can't. Tell. You," James hissed. "Get out Victoire!"

"Let him out James Sirius, or I'll go get Aunt Gin who is at her wit's end with you and Al," I threatened.

"You wouldn't."

I took a step toward the door, lightly resting my hand on the handle. The expression on my cousin's face twisted into a look of horror when he realized that I was being completely serious.

"All right, all right," he said quickly. "Al, let Teddy out of the closet!"

Albus backed away from his older brother. "No way! You locked him in there, you can let him out!" And with that, my ten year old cousin stomped out of the room.

James chased after him, waving a fist in the air and shouting, "Get back here Al! AL! You better get back here! Stop running Albus! I'm not going to hit you that hard!"

I smiled at the thought of James running into his mother as he ran around threatening Al; he was in sooooo much trouble! James had always been the Fred and George to Albus's Ron, and he loved it. Unlike Uncle Ron however, Albus would get fed up of the teasing and ordering around once in awhile and stomp off, leaving James to do his own dirty work. Most of the time he would go to hang with Rose, but occasionally he would come find Teddy and I.

I knocked softly on the closet door. "Ted? You still in there?"

"Where else would I be Victoire?"

"Don't be mad at me," I said, unlocking and opening the door so Teddy could breathe again. "Besides, you could have apparated out."

He ignored me and sat down, inhaling deeply.

"Ted?" I asked, concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he managed to say, still gasping for air. "Al really needs to wash those socks."

**A/N: Okay, so I know this is again a pointless, short chapter. But I really wanted to write about James(!) and AL(!!!). They are really fun characters to write about, and since I'm a soccer chick, I had sweaty nasty socks on the mind. Haha. But yeah. Next chapter will take Victoire & Teddy to Hogwarts.**

**But I need people to review and tell me whether they want the sleepover Lily mentioned in the story or not(?)**

**Thanks much!**


	3. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Platform 9¾ was crowded and noisy. Parents were shouting last goodbyes to their children, and hugging the life out of the incoming first years. Younger siblings bawled as they watched their older brothers and sisters board the train.

I pushed past a group of what looked like first years (based upon their amazed, but nervous expressions), searching for Teddy. Where could he possibly be? We made an agreement to meet on the platform before the Express left, and it wasn't like this was a new thing either. Teddy and I met up every year in order to find a compartment with one another. The only year we hadn't was Teddy's first year, and the only reason for that was I wasn't old enough to attend Hogwarts.

A small smile played across my lips, I had spent that entire year trying to convince Professor McGonagall (current headmistress and Transfiguration teacher) to let me start school a year early. I wrote so many letters that year, at least three a day. Teddy even went to her office on several occasions, begging her to grant my request. Obviously she refused. You had to be eleven to start Hogwarts, and I was only ten, so Ted and I spent a year apart. Next year would be my turn to be at school for a year without my best friend, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I had other friends at school, but Teddy was my rock.

"Oi! Delacour!" Timmy Marks's voice called out from behind me, snapping me out of memory land. I took a deep breath, and turned to face the annoying fifth year.

"What Timmy?"

He smirked, pleased to have caught my attention. Just great, another game of "Get the Veela's Attention". Typical Timmy.

Here's the deal with Timmy Marks: his older brother Lawden is way popular at school, so he thinks that he can do whatever and say whatever the hell he wants….Wrong! If it weren't for Lawden, Timmy would've gotten his ass beaten a few times instead of just the once.

Last year, Timmy made the second beater position on the Quidditch team (Maman wishes every day for me to stop playing sports with boys), so he thinks that he's hot stuff…As if, my cousin Katie could cream him any day (of course she is Uncle George's daughter, and he was one of the most brilliant beaters Hogwarts has ever seen) and James made Seeker his first year. The only reason he even got the position was because Freddie was sick the week of tryouts and two weeks after. Anyways, let's just say that he should've shut his mouth and stopped cracking jokes at practice. Ted (a.k.a. "Mr. Captain" as I like to call him, though he would love for me to drop the nickname) let it slide, until Timmy started with the werewolf jokes. He deserved exactly what he got, which was a good ass kicking from Teddy.

"I heard you and Lawd broke up again over the summer."

Ugh, the fact that Lawden and I had dated on and off for the past two years was the other reason why Timmy was so annoying. Every time Lawd and I split, Timmy got the idea in his head that I secretly liked him. Um, ew. I didn't even like his brother most of the time.

"I heard you're dating Adelina Chang," I shot back, already tired of this game.

"You heard right."

"That's too bad," I replied, frowning and taking a step towards his group. I might as well have some fun.

"Wha?"

"Well the whole reason I ended it with Lawden is because you've really grown up since last year. You're even cuter than Lawd is now."

Timmy's jaw dropped. It took everything in me no to bust out in laughter, it would ruin my own little game. The veela gene was annoying times ten, but I usually found a way to have fun with it. For example: making Timmy Marks think I had a crush on him, the look on his face was priceless.

"Wha?" He sputtered. "Really?"

"Yeah," I smiled, then sighed. "Oh well, Adelina's a lucky girl. Au revoir Timmy." His friends watched in amazement and jealousy as I leaned down and kissed each of his cheeks. Maman would be so proud of my performance. I waved at the fifth year boys and walked off, hips swinging, to continue my search for Teddy.

Jackpot! Pink hair!

"Teddy!" I shouted, pushing my way through the crowded platform. "Oi! LUPIN!"

Teddy turned around, his eyes and hair a bright, bubblegum pink. He held Lily in his arms who was clearly having another one of her tantrums.

"Victoire!" She reached out, trying to wiggle out of Teddy's arms.

"Hi Lily," I replied, taking her from Ted.

"Victoire can I please go to Hogwarts with you?" she asked. "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty pleeeeasse?!"

"Of course Sweetie! I'll stuff you in my bag and you can go to Hogwarts with Ted and me!"

"I don't want him to go!" Lily pouted. "Just you and me Rie! Teddy's being a stomach!"

I giggled. "Is he now?" Lily nodded and hugged me tighter. "Well then, we can leave Teddy here with Al, Rose, and Hugo."

"YAY! I'm going to school with Victoire! In your face Teddy James-Sir…Sir…Surius Lupinn!"

"Lily," Teddy sighed. I could tell he was already tired of my six years old cousin. "Victoire was just joking. Weren't you Rie?"

"Of course I'm not!" I laughed. Lily grinned and then smirked victoriously at Teddy. This gave me the perfect opportunity to shoot him a "Ha! She likes me better!" look over my cousin's shoulder. Teddy rolled his eyes at my child-like behavior.

"Come on Lily." Aunt Ginny appeared next to Teddy with her arms held out toward the little girl. Uncle Harry stood next to his wife, and Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda, was not far behind them with Albus.

"Lily, we both know that you aren't old enough to go with Victoire, Teddy, and your brother to school. Even Albus can't go yet."

"But Mommy!"

"I'm sorry Sweetie," Aunt Gin said quickly. "C'mere though, you and Al are going to play at Grammy and Grandad's house with Rose and Hugo."

"Mommy please?"

"Come on Lilsters!" Uncle Harry lifter his daughter out of my arms and spun her around in the air. "I'll tell you what. Tomorrow, you and I will go get some ice cream in Diagon Alley for breakfast! How does that sound?"

"Do Teddy, Victoire, Katie, Freddie, and James get ice cream for breakfast?" Lily asked quickly.

"Of course not! Hogwarts students NEVER get to eat ice cream for breakfast!" Lily grinned, pleased with her father's answer, and kissed his cheek.

"You two better get going." Aunt Ginny stepped forward to hug Teddy and me. "Have a good year and please look after James. Merlin knows that boy is going to get hexed one of these days!" I laughed and hugged her back.

"Will do Aunt Gin."

"Theodore James-Sirius Lupin, I know that you wouldn't even think about running off without giving your grandmother a hug goodbye," Andromeda scolded.

"Theodore," I snickered.

"'Course I wouldn't Grandma," Teddy said quickly, ignoring my giggles.

"Victoire Weasley, stop laughing and come say goodbye!"

I did as I was told and hugged Teddy's grandmother. Just like Ted, Andromeda was a part of our family. She spent every Christmas at the Burrow and attended every single family dinner. At first, she was really uncomfortable when placed in these situations, but after five Christmas sweaters from Grandma Molly, she molded right in. All of the younger kids refer to her as Auntie Andromeda now.

"Keep an eye on him for me dear," she whispered so Teddy couldn't hear.

"Always do Andromeda."

She pulled back to look at me. "He's a good boy Victoire," she said. "But he can get so angry…" I cut her off.

"I know. He has his reasons though."

"That he does," Andromeda agreed, letting out a sigh. Her bright blue eyes clouded over for a second in remembrance of her daughter and son-in-law, but then she smiled and pulled me back into her embrace. "Have a good year Victoire. I'll see you over the holidays."

"See you at Christmas," I promised. I turned to face my aunt, uncle, and cousins. "Bye Lily!" The little girl jumped into my arms. "Sorry Sweetie, I tried to take you to school. But remember, it's all Teddy's fault." Aunt Gin, Uncle Harry, and Andromeda all laughed, and I'm sure Teddy was rolling his eyes again.

"Bye Victoire!" Albus wrapped his arms around my waist. I ruffled his dark hair affectionately; I'd always had a soft spot for Al. "See you at Christmas!" He waved and joined his parents to leave. I waved back as my family walked off.

"Ready to go sir?" I turned back to face Teddy who's hair was shifting back to its normal golden-brown color, if you looked closely you could see a hint of turquoise underneath. He nodded and I grabbed his hand, which was calloused from days of flying during the summer, and yanked him towards the train that would be leaving in about thirty seconds.

"Have you seen Tucker at all today Rie?" Teddy asked once we boarded. The train jolted as the engine started, Ted reached out with his other hand to steady me.

I shook my head. "I thought I saw Teagan earlier but…"

"Oi! Weasley! Lupin!" We turned to find Tucker Conway sticking his head out the last compartment door. "Teag and I grabbed a compartment since you two are always late!" I laughed and skipped down the train car towards the seventh year where my friend Teagan was waiting.

"RIE!"

Straight, very shiny black hair whipped me in the face as Teagan Oliver squeezed every ounce of air from my body. Teagan's parents were Oliver Wood of the ever popular Quidditch team Puddlemere United, and Marianna Menta who was an Italian supermodel. Her parents divorced in our third year, and her mother had insisted upon Teagan transferring to Beauxbatons. Thankfully, she lived with her dad, who refused to send her to school in France.

Teagan was the best keeper Gryffindor had seen since her dad back in my Uncle's days at Hogwarts. She, Katie, and I were the only girls on the team, and not many girls chose to play Quidditch these days. Most preferred to flounce about in tiny skirts instead of flying brooms in the pouring rain while trying to avoid getting your brains blasted out of your skull…Lame, I know.

"Teag! I missed you sooo much!" I exclaimed, hugging her tighter. "I cannot believe your mother made you go with her to Italy this summer!"

"Ugh," she groaned, pulling away so she could face me. "Don't even remind me Rie! She dragged me to all of these designers, I didn't even get to see anything, or eat gelato. 'Il relativo ugualmente ingrassamento Teagan!' she said. It's too fattening Teagan! It's like: um Mum, you're the model not me! All I want to do is play Quidditch like Dad. And oh my God Victoire! She made me go to France too!"

"No!"

"Yupp! She told me it was to visit some designers there, which ended up being completely untrue. I only realized this when she, wait for it, made me take a tour of Beauxbatons!"

Teddy and Tucker winced and covered their ears as I screeched, "EW! My mother went to Beauxbatons, and she doesn't even try to get me to transfer."

"I know," Teag sighed and flopped down on the seat. I plopped down next to her. "It's like, God! Cut it out! I like it at Hogwarts. I'm totally not just gonna leave you guys and Quidditch to go to that school full of Veela-look-a-likes!"

I laughed at her disgusted expression. "Don't diss the Veelas!" I pushed her playfully. "There's nothing wrong with being a freak of nature!"

"Ah! Shut up Rie!" She giggled, pushing me back. "You are like the farthest thing from a freak of nature. Just too bee-yoo-tiful for your own good!"

"No such thing as too beautiful!" Tucker chimed in from the other side of the compartment where he sat next to Teddy, who was setting up a Wizarding Chess set on the seat. "Why do you think Ted and I hang out with the two of you? You're personalities? Hell no!"

"Shut up Tuck!" Teag snapped and I smiled.

Because of the Veela charm, I was automatically the prettiest girl at school, and the most hated by other girls, except Teag. Of course, Teagan wasn't too well liked either. Like myself, Teagan was absolutely gorgeous, and girls hated the two of us because of that. Even when we were first years, the seventh year girls shot us glares in the hallways, so it made sense for us to be friends. Neither of us cared about that kind of thing, Teagan never tried to compete with me in the looks department, or anything else for that matter.

In addition to being hated by the pretty much the entire female population at Hogwarts, Teag and I also loved Quidditch. She was a keeper (like her dad) and I was a chaser, trained by Aunt Ginny. We also preferred hanging out with guys 24/7 instead of other girls. Guys were less catty, and loved to talk Quidditch.

Teddy was my best friend, but I couldn't talk to him about boys, or clothes, or other girl-like stuff. Just because we were Quidditch obsessed girls, didn't mean we still didn't think about the things any other teenage girl would think about. I could never talk to Teddy about guys like I talk with Teagan about them; it would be just a bit awkward.

"What'd you do this summer a Tucker? You weren't over as much this year."

"Partied."

"Okay Tuck." Teagan rolled her eyes. "We all know you don't party without Ted! Who else is gonna hold your Firewhiskey while you puke your guts out?"

"Well we know it couldn't be Victoire, because she's the one holding your hair while you throw up your own Firewhiskey," Tucker shot back.

"He's got a point Teag," I giggled.

"Checkmate!" Teddy shouted, completely oblivious to Teagan and Tucker, like always.

Teddy had always been completely unaware of the fact our two friends were absolutely and secretly in love with each other. I pointed this out to him last year, and he looked at me like I was totally insane. "All they ever do is fight Rie, don't be a blonde," was all he said. I then attempted to point out to him that Aunt 'Mione and Uncle Ron used to fight a lot when they were at school, and they ended up married. But no, Teddy ignored me and wandered off to find Tuck. Typical. He would never hear the end of it when they finally got together.

"Ugh, thanks a lot Teag," Tucker groaned, chucking his knight across the compartment at my raven-haired friend.

"What did I do?" She screeched, hurling the chess piece back at him. "It's not my fault you totally suck at chess while Ted is a complete beast! Maybe you should stop sticking your tongue down girls' throats and practice more."

Teddy pulled a book out of his old bag and continued to ignore our fighting friends. I followed his lead and stretched out on mine and Teagan's seat, resting my head on her thigh as she continued to yell at Tucker. Most people would be annoyed with the two of them by now, but their constant bickering never bothered Ted or I, the majority of the time it was actually extremely amusing.

It wasn't like they hated each other or anything; their personality's just tended to clash when hiding their secret undying love for one another.

"I am not a slut you MANWHORE!"

------

I smiled and closed my eyes.

"Rie, wake up!" Teagan shouted. Ugh, did she not know that I hated people yelling to wake me up? We'd been best friends since Potion's class of first year. She should really know better by now. "Seriously Victoire, we're at the castle."

"Wha?" I sat up, confused. Hadn't I just fallen asleep on the train? The last things I heard was Teagan yelling at Tucker for something…How could we already be at school? "How did I get here?" Teagan burst into giggles.

"I made Ted carry you; you tried to stand up and nearly bashed your face after falling over," she said quickly.

"Aw thanks guys!" I grinned.

"Can we just gooooo?" Teddy whined. He opened the door and hopped out of the carriage, Tucker followed.

Teagan smiled and shook her head. "Boys!" she muttered. I laughed and pushed her at the door. She stumbled out, falling into Tuck's arms. "Thanks Tucker." She kissed his semi-flushed cheek.

"You can join us any day here Rie," Teddy said. I stuck my tongue out in reply and leaped out of the carriage, landing next to my best friend.

"Your patience is what I love about you Ted," I said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. "No really though Teddy, you're always so patient! I don't think I've ever heard a complaint escape from your lips. It's amazing actual-LYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Teagan burst into laughter again as Teddy swept me off of my flip-flop clad feet and tossed my body over his shoulder like a potato sack.

"Geez Rie!" Teddy yelled. "How much do you weigh now? Like three-fifty? And you accuse me of sneaking Twinkies from Grandad Arthur's secret stash of muggle food!" I punched him in the butt, making an attempt to get him to set me back down. No luck, I continued to repeatedly punch his butt. He ignored the hits and continued up the path and through the castle doors, Teagan and Tucker followed in hysterics.

"Put me down Theodore!" I shouted. "Or I'll get Al to send me some of his dirty socks so I can shove them in your face every morning!" I smacked his butt once more for emphasis.

"Victoire Weasley."

I looked up from my best friend's behind to see Lawden leaning against the wall. I was still mad at him, but even I had to admit that he looked good. His dark chocolate hair waved slightly and reached the tips of his eyelashes, shadowing the bright amber eyes that could make any Hogwarts girl swoon. Even myself occasionally, I was only human.

"Ted will you put me down please?" I said again, ignoring my ex boyfriend. Teddy set me lightly back down on my feet and turned to face Lawden. I grabbed Teagan's hand and pulled her down the hallway, hoping that Lawd wouldn't follow us dinner.

"I'm guessing that you guys broke up again?" Teag asked.

I nodded. "Is he following us?"

Teagan looked over her shoulder. "Yeah he is. Do you want to talk to him or no?" I shook my head so quickly that blonde waves smacked me in the face, poking my eyes. There was no way I would be talking to him after our fight last summer.

"She probably wants to talk to Tim," Lawden said, coming up behind my friend and I. He slipped and arm around my shoulders, and moved into the space between Teag and me. "He told me what you said at the train station Rie. You know you really shouldn't say stuff like that to him, it'll get his hopes up."

"Whatever," I snapped. "He's lucky I didn't hex him. I'm so sick of him trying to impress his friends by getting my attention! I'm not Victoire the Veela, okay? And he really needs to cut his shit out before I set Teddy on him again." I made a second effort to wiggle out of his reach, but Lawden wasn't done talking.

"Okay, okay," he said softly, turning my body so he faced me. "I promise I'll get him to cut it out Victoire. So can we talk about when you and I are getting back together?" I rolled my eyes; of course that was what he wanted.

"How about when hell freezes over," Teagan muttered under her breath.

"I wasn't talking to you Teagan," Lawden barked at my friend. I moved away from the seventh year and linked my arm through Teagan's.

"I think I'm gonna go with her on this one Lawd," I replied and Teagan smirked. Teddy and Tucker appeared behind Lawden, looking extremely hungry.

"Rie are you done talking to him yet?" Teddy whined, giving me the puppy eyes. I nodded. "Great then." He pushed past Lawden, grabbed my hand and yanked me in the direction of the Great Hall muttering, "I hate that guy."

I looped my pale arm through his tan one. "I'm not too fond of him either Ted," I said. "To be honest I don't even know why I keep getting back together with him."

"Then maybe you shouldn't anymore Rie," he said, almost harshly, yanking his arm away. I looked up at him questioningly, and was surprised to see his eyes growing darker. He sighed and walked through the double doors into the Hall. Tucker quickly strode past me, and into the Great Hall after his friend.

"You okay Rie?" Teagan asked. I turned to face her and nodded.

"Let's just go and get something to eat," I said quickly. "I'm starved." She smiled and tugged on my arm, pulling me after the boys.

------

"Ugh!" Teagan grunted as she pushed her bed towards mine. "The house elves really need to stop moving our beds around! We push them back together every single year and they can't seem to understand that we like our beds pushed in the corner all secluded-like to avoid the other hoebags that sleep here!"

"Teagan!" I shouted, trying not to giggle at my ranting friend. "Calm down Dude! It's not a big deal, and besides it'll build up arm strength for Quidditch." My bed clunked against hers and I jumped up, bouncing a few times before flopping down on my stomach.

"Point!" Teag laughed and dove next to me. "When d'you think the others will arrive?"

"Now," I replied as the other girls in our year walked in, ignoring us as usual.

Teagan and I were silent as the other sixth year girls went about getting themselves ready for bed. I turned to face Teag once their snores began.

"Hey Teag? Have you ever noticed Teddy acting weird around Lawden?"

She propped herself up with her elbows and shook her head. "Why?"

"I dunno, he just seemed really strange earlier when Lawd was talking to us," I whispered. I then proceeded to tell her about his reaction after I told him I wasn't quite sure about why I kept going out with him

"He's probably just sick of watching Lawden and you fight all the time," she replied softly. "Or maybe he thinks Lawd is just using you. I'll admit I've thought that more than once."

I nodded. "Yeah," I agreed. "That has to be it."

But when I turned over on my back, I wasn't so sure that was it.

**A/N: And so yeah. Not really much to say about this one other than it's much longer than the other two chapters:) (ALMOST 9 PAGES!!!)**

**&&It would make me extremly happy if you guys reviewed:)!!!**


	4. Go Away Lawden

"Move it!" A girl shrieked.

"No, you move it!" Another yelled back.

I groaned and rolled back onto my side to face Teagan. She stared back at me, pillow pulled over her head, and her navy eyes murderous. There was nothing Teagan and I hated more than waking up early, something the other girls of our dorm didn't understand or respect. They felt it was perfectly fine for them to wake up and blast music at five in the- FOUR THIRTY?! Are they SERIOUS?! I reached over and yanked the clock off of my bedside table and shook it violently, praying it was busted. No luck, the hands remained on the four and six.

"Tessa!" Megan Collins screeched in her unnaturally high voice. "Have you seen my new headband?"

"Shut up!" I shouted before Tessa could answer her friend. I chucked the clock at the bathroom door. These girls were beyond dead once Teag and I were fully awake. Not only were they yelling at each other as loud as possible, but they had the radio blasting somewhere and I was too lazy to turn it off. "And go back to bed for Merlin's sake!"

Teagan giggled and flipped over onto her stomach, burying her amused face in the blood red pillow. I kicked her lightly in the leg, silently telling her to shut up so I could go back to sleep (she better too because I don't feel like dealing with her crabby ass all day when she's tired), and flopped back down to go back to sleep. But no, God forbid I get any sleep this morning.

The remix of my grandmother's favorite song, "A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love", the radio was playing grew louder and the other girls erupted into revengeful giggles. I opened my eyes just in time to see Tessa Morgen's wand withdraw into the bathroom. Bitches. God! Were we still at the age where we pulled that kind of shit just to piss one another off?! Of course I have no room to talk, Teag and I still did stuff like that, but not while they were trying to sleep!

"Teeeeeeagaaaaaan," I whined, poking her in the stomach. She sighed and snatched up the cherry wand from her own bedside table.

"Silencio," she muttered, lazily pointing her wand at the radio. I smiled gratefully, but my best friend was already asleep.

Yanking the cream colored blanket up to my chin, I snuggled back into my pillow-filled bed, the smile still plastered on my face. Even if I was stuck rooming with six hoebags who played loud music and screamed at each other in the morning, at least I had Teagan. Plus, I could always have Teddy and Tuck prank them later too. That would make us very happy!

Ooooo! I wonder if they would turn the girls' precious hair lime green?! There's a nice thought! Teagan is so going to have to picture that later, it would put her into hysterics.

I jumped as the soft woven blanket I had considered stealing every year was whipped away from my body.

"Sheeeit!" I screeched as the chilly air of the castle hit my pale skin. Tessa stood at the foot of my bed, Megan hovered not far behind her friend, and my blanket was in the brunette's hand. Both girls were clearly pissed. "Give it back Tessa." I rubbed my arms quickly, immediately regretting my decision to wear a t-shirt and shorts to bed instead of sweats.

"Don't be such a blonde next time Rie," I could hear Teddy saying once I told him about this later. Well, I guess he can't always be sensitive; he is a seventeen year old boy after all.

"Turn the music back on Victoire," Tessa snapped.

"Give me my blanket back," I replied, rolling my eyes. She threw the blanket at me. "The music stays off, Tessa. It's not even five yet, Teag and I are trying to sleep, and you guys are being as loud as freaking possible! Go back to sleep!"

"Well some of us aren't veela, and need time to get ready in the morning," Megan chimed in. Teagan sat up; she's probably been awake since I shrieked, what a slow riser.

"Sorry," she said, slightly snottily. "We forgot that you guys have to get an early start on caking your faces on. I guess not everyone can just wake up and look good like Rie and I. Some people, such as you two, have to spend three hours just to look normal. It must suck to be rooming with the veela and the model's daughter when you wake up looking like that!"

And with that said, Teagan stood up, wrapping her own blanket around her shoulders. She motioned for me to follow her. I rolled off the side of the bed, landing on my feet, and draped the soft fabric over my shoulders, before shooting Teag a questioning look.

"We'll go sleep in the boy's room," she said quickly, ignoring Tessa and Megan. "Teddy and Tuck won't mind Rie." I nodded in agreement and followed my friend out the door, listening to her mutter the whole way about how stupid our roommates were.

---

"Move over," I hissed. "Ted, seriously, move over."

Teddy turned over onto his side and looked back at me through half open eyes. "Whaddya want Rie?" he yawned. "I'm trying to sleep." He ran a hand through the turquoise hair that always appeared when he slept and lied on his back.

"So. Am. I!" I replied, poking him in the side. "So move over before I wake the rest of your freaking dorm!"

"What's with you?" Teddy questioned, scooting over to I could lie down next to him.

"Tessa and them woke up at 4:30 and blasted remixes of Grandmum's favorite songs, all while screaming at one another to get out of the shower."

"That explains why you're so crabby," he said softly, almost sympathetically. I nodded and moved his arm so that I was able to rest my head against it. Teddy was already asleep again, snoring a bit, but he smiled, mid-snore, as I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged his torso. At least Teag and I had the guys.

---

"They're so stupid!" Teagan fumed as we walked with the guys down to breakfast. "Who the hell wakes up at four thirty in the morning? My dad doesn't even wake up that early when he has morning training!"

"Why did they wake up that early again?" Tucker asked, slightly amused.

"They had to plaster their faces on," I replied, swinging mine and Teddy's arms back and forth.

"I guess it does take time to look that good," Tuck agreed, as our roommates came into view, earning a smack on the head from Teagan. "OW! Teag!"

"That," Teagan said, pointing past Tucker's head to the girls. "Is a group of sluts Tuck-er! The only reason they look that way is because they repeatedly cake pounds and pounds of make-up onto their faces!"

"Why do you sound so jealous Teagan?"

"I don't!" She snapped.

"Whatever you say," Tucker smirked.

"I don't!" Teagan said again, whacking him on the back of the head once more to emphasize her answer.

"I'm going to drop you if you don't cut it out," Tucker threatened.

"No you won't Tuck," Teagan giggled, already in a better mood. "You love me too much to do such a thing sir!" She hugged his shoulders since he was giving her a, as Lily would put it, "piggy-back ride"!

"Only on Tuesdays!" Tucker insisted as I laughed with Teagan. "And it's a Thursday so I could totally drop you Teag!"

"We all know you would never do a thing like that Tuck!" I managed through my uncontrollable giggles. I hugged Teddy's arm as we walked, which led to people staring with too much curiosity in their eyes. Jeez, can't two friends walk with linked arms through the halls anymore? Of course, it did look like I was hanging on Teddy, but it was totally not like that.

"D'you think they're finally together?!" A seventh-year Slytherin squealed to her friend. I rolled my eyes, back in my Aunts and Uncles days at Hogwarts, Slytherins rarely squealed. I can't even remember all of the times I wish that Slytherins hadn't changed.

"I don't know," the other girl whispered. "I mean they practically live with one another don't they? And she's always kissing his cheek and hanging all over him…"

"Maybe she's just his stalker!" Another said hopefully. I rolled my eyes at that one; didn't the Hogwarts student population have something to talk about other than Ted and me for once? Rumors were already being spread in every direction.

"They're a couple now!"

"EW! How could he go out with that! She's like a freak or something!"

"He's the freak!"

"Damn! Victoire Weasley is looking HOT!"

"She likes me! She dumped my brother to go out with me! Too bad I'm dating Adelina now…"

"Victoire's such a bitch!"

"I thought she was dating Tucker?!"

"She's cheating on both him and Teddy; word is Lawden might be getting back together with her too! I wonder if I could be her fourth boyfriend…?"

"Teddy's sooooo HOT!!!"

I turned back to my friends, letting the other students' comments bounce off my skin. "You know you love Teagan and I the most! Especially more than Teddy!"

"True," Tucker agreed, joining in on our laughfest.

"Shit!" Teagan shrieked as Teddy shoved our friend in his ribs, sending Tuck and Teagan flying to the side. "God, Ted!"

I whacked my best friend on the shoulder. "Teddy! Don't be so mean!" He laughed and poked me in the side, I jumped. "Teddy don't!" I laughed this time. "You know I'm be-yond ticklish!"

"That's the whole point Rie!" He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off my feet. My legs cut through the air as he whipped me around in circles. "Dizzy yet?!"

"Teddy! Let me down!"

"Whatever you say Rie." Teddy set me down carefully and slung an arm over my shoulders. "Can we go eat now? I'm starved!" I nodded and let Teagan and Tucker lead the way into the Great Hall.

We sat in our usual spot, in the middle of the Gryffindor table with Ted and Tuck across from us. A sudden pang in my chest left me unaware of James running up and down the aisle with underwear strapped over his head (McGonagall was glaring at him from her Headmistress seat) and Katie kissing my cheek quickly as she walked by with one of her friends.

Teddy and Tucker weren't going to be here next year. This was the last year Teag and I would sit at the table with the guys across from us. Sure we had them now, but what about when we're seventh-years? Who were Teagan and I going to hang with on weekends, and sneak down to Hogsmeade with? I love my cousins, and Katie and I have always been close, but they had their own lives. Once Tucker and Ted left school, Teagan and I would be on our own. There wasn't going to be anymore sneaking into the boy's dorm because Tessa and Megan were being loud in the morning, no more late broom rides, no more Teddy glaring Timmy down when he played his stupid little games. Just me and Teagan.

Teddy kicked me under the table. "You okay?" He asked once I looked up. I managed to force a smile and nod, but he saw straight through it. "Tuck." Tucker looked over in time to get a piece of bacon slapped on his face. Even though it was really stupid, and totally not that funny, Teagan and I dissolved into another fit of giggles, shaking the whole table with our laughter.

"Victoire." I tensed. There was something about the way my ex-boyfriend said my name that I knew exactly what he was going to say. His hand rested on my shoulder lightly, I shook it away and continued to ignore him. "C'mon babe, don't be like this."

"Go back to your own table Lawden," I hissed. Why did he have to ruin the morning even more? I was already still in a bad mood because of the other girls, and with the thought of Teddy and Tucker not being around next year lingering in the back of my head, I was already upset. So couldn't he just try to talk to me some other time? Better yet, he could just leave me alone period. I mean, was he not able to understand that I don't want to get back together this time, because I'm pretty sure that I've made that clear.

"V," he sighed, dropping down on the bench next to me. I turned to face Teagan, still trying to overlook his presence. If I was lucky, he might take the hint and leave. "Will you just listen to what I have to say?"

"Fine," I replied bitterly. "Talk then."

"Victoire, come on. I'll walk you to class, okay? Then I'll explain everything."

"Fine," I agreed, getting to my feet. This was the only he would leave me alone and I knew that. "See you in class Teag?" She nodded, frowning slightly. I could tell she wasn't happy that I was giving Lawden a chance to explain himself, but she'd keep her mouth shut unless I asked otherwise. That was why I loved my friend, she let me make my own mistakes, unlike someone else *coughTeddycough*…

"Rie, are you seriously going to give him another chance?" Teddy asked angrily. "After all the shit he's pulled?" I love Ted, but sometimes the big brother act gets really old. It's not like I'm still fourteen anymore. I'm 16, almost 17, and Ted needs to realize that.

"Teddy, don't," I said before Lawden could speak. "I'll talk to you later, kay?" He nodded, looking down to glare at the remaining bacon on his plate. Teagan gave me a small, sympathetic smile. I sighed in reply and pushed past my ex. "Let's just go."

Lawd smirked and followed me out of the Great Hall. As we walked through the doors, he reached down to get a hold of my hand; I smacked him away and sped up.

This was a completely horrible idea, and I already knew that. But I also knew Lawden, and there was no way I would ever get him to leave me alone without hearing him out first. Which was completely pointless because I know anything that comes out of his mouth is total bull.

"V." He reached over, trying to grasp my hand.

"What?!"

"V, please don't do this," he pleaded. I rolled my eyes. Was he serious? HE was the one who started this, not me.

"Do what Lawden?" I barked. "Be pissed at you? Well I am pissed at you Lawd! Because you are STUPID!"

"Rie," he tried.

"Don't call me that," I said harshly. "Don't even try and get back on my good side because it won't work this time Lawden. You have NEVER called me Rie, NEVER! The only people who call me that are my family, Teag, Tuck, and Teddy."

"God forbid I get to use the same nickname Teddy does!" He shot back, throwing his arms in the air out of frustration. "Maybe if it weren't for your precious TEDDY, we wouldn't be fighting right now! You ever realized that Victoire?"

A lovely smacking sound filled the empty corridor as I slapped his perfect cheek.

"Don't you dare try and blame him for this Lawden Marks!" I nearly yelled. "This is entirely your fault. Not his! And you can bash him all you want, and try to twist things around so it looks like things are his fault…But I. Don't. Care! He's my best friend Lawden, and if you really wanted to be with me you would stop being such an asshole about him."

And with that, I turned on my heel and stomped off down the hallway to go to Transfiguration.

***

_"Because he likes you V!" Lawden shouted, his normally tan face growing red. He actually looked somewhat like a strawberry. "Every time I come to pick you up he's over here or you're at his house! Somehow he just conveniently makes you forget that we had plans!"_

_"You're insane!" I yelled, almost in laughter, at my boyfriend. "You are on drugs I swear you must be! Teddy is my best friend, that's it! We've been best friends since I was freaking born Lawden! He is always going to be around! I mean, what the hell do you want me to do? Just ditch him? Tell him that I'm sorry but my psychotic boyfriend wants me to stop being friends with him?"_

_"You could leave out the 'sorry,'" Lawden muttered._

_My eyes grew wide. He was seriously telling me to ditch my best friend. "We're done," I said before walking through the back door of my house. Lawden made an attempt to follow, but was stopped when I slammed the door back in his face._

_I was pissed there was no denying it. How dare he say such a thing! How dare he order me around like I was one of his little groupies! I was his freaking girlfriend! Not some stupid veela girl he could boss around! I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! I! HATE! HIM!_

_"V!" He called through the door, wrapping his knuckles against the wood. "Babe! Don't do this!"_

_I ignored his pleas and raced up the stairs, trying not to scream. I was sick of this! How many times was he going to bother me about Teddy? God! Why did no one ever understand that Ted and I are only friends? There are no benefits, no making out, nothing like that! Merlin forbid my boyfriend actually trust me._

_"Go home Lawden!" I snapped, pushing past my ex and locking the door behind me. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to face him._

_"V…"_

_"No," I said. "I'm done with this Lawden. We're done, FOR GOOD! There's no more getting back together, because frankly I'm sick of it. So just go home, and leave me alone." I pried his hands off my shoulders and walked off towards my Uncle Charlie's house so I could floo to Uncle's George's. I really needed to talk to Katie about this, because if I went to Teddy, he'd start yelling or something._

_Why did Teagan's mother insist upon dragging my other best friend off to Italy for the summer?_

***

"Hey chick," Teag said. She sat on the top of my desk. "What happened with Lawden?"

I took a deep breath. "I smacked his stupid-ass face," I replied.

"Whoa! What? What'd he say Rie?"

"He told me that the whole reason we were fighting was because of Teddy," I said. "And that Ted's the only reason Lawden and I ever get into fights, I kinda snapped."

She laughed. "Oh dude! I wish I could've seen that," she paused, "is Teddy really what you guys are fighting about?"

"Yupp," I nodded. "He basically thinks that Teddy and I are more than friends, and he's jealous because I spend so much time with Ted. It's like what the hell am I supposed to do? Teddy's been my best friend since we were kiddies running around the Burrow, you know? When we fought over the summer he told me that I should just ditch Teddy."

She gasped. "He didn't."

"He did. I swear, it's like he really only sees me as a veela and nothing else. I'm so sick of it! He totally acts like he can control me, and I'm like: no!" Teag slid into the seat next to mine and I leaned against her. "I'm not going to always be there when Lawden decides he wants to get back together with me. I swear Teagan; I'm done with him this time."

She smiled and hugged me. "Good, because he's not good enough for you anyway." I laughed and hugged her back.

---

I knocked on the seventh-year boys' dormitory door. I'd promised to talk to Teddy about Lawden earlier at breakfast, and hadn't gotten the chance during dinner or lunch. Which is why I was standing outside his dorm in sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts at nine o'clock later that night.

"Hey," Tucker opened the door and grinned. "What's up Rie?"

"Is Teddy here?" I asked my friend quickly. "I really need to talk to him."

"Hey." Teddy appeared behind Tuck. "You okay?" He frowned.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to you."

"Alright," he said, nodding. He reached past Tucker and took my hand in his own. "We'll go sit outside, come on." I let him pull me through the room, which was already a mess since the boys let their trunks spill everywhere and smelled like sweat. Boys.

"Here." He opened the glass door that led to the balcony that only 7th years were permitted to have. I brushed past him, ignoring the whistles of Teddy's roommates, and plopped down on an old mattress Tuck had most likely stolen that morning from a first-year dorm. "What's up?"  
"I slapped Lawden," I automatically said.

"Okayy," he said slowly. "I'm all for that Victoire, but can you tell me why you slapped him?"

"We got in a fight last summer," I replied, shrugging my shoulders a bit. "He told me that I needed to ditch you and stop being your friend." Teddy tensed. "He just keeps saying that you're the reason that he and I always fight. So I told him that we were done for good, obviously he didn't believe me since he keeps trying to 'talk things out', but I can't put myself through that anymore."

Teddy nodded, then smiled. "Good, because I'm kind of sick of him Rie. I know that I'm getting all big brother-like, but you're my best friend Victoire and I really hate watching you get back together with him over and over again when he doesn't even deserve you."

"I know," I sighed. "I promise this time though Ted, he and I are done for good. Because I'm really sick of him thinking he can control me."

"Okay," Teddy said. He slung an arm over my shoulders and I leaned against him. "I'm going to hold you to that promise Rie."

"Course you are."

---

**A/N: So yeah, there's the fourth chapter! Sorry it took so long! But it is much longer then the 1st and 2nd chapters (about the same as the third!)**

**Anyways...reviews are majorly appreciated!:)**


	5. He Wore a Yellow PolkaDot Bikini

It had been almost two month since we had arrived at Hogwarts, and Lawden was still bugging me about getting back together at any chance he got. "I love you babe", "I'm sorry V", "Give me one more chance Victoire."

"It's just because I love you so much V, seeing you with Lupin makes me nervous that you're going to fall in love with hi-"

"Save it!" I snapped, turning around to face the dark-haired boy who was currently following me down the hallway. "I've heard it all before Marks, and I already told you that we're done…For good! So stop following me to class, or to the Gryffindor common room, or the Great Hall, or even around Hogsmeade! Okay?! Just stop freaking stalking me Lawden before I pull out a restraining order! Better yet, I could just have Ted beat the shit out of you." My hair whipped my face as I turned to go down to the Quidditch pitch where my friends and cousins were waiting to start practice. I was already late, thanks to Lawden. If he hadn't stopped me on the way to locker rooms, I would already be out there flying.

"Victoire…"

"Shut up!" I whirled back around to glare at him. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! GOD! Do you even know what the words 'leave me alone' mean? I'm not getting back together with you again Lawden. Get that through your thick head and move on!"

"Babe…"

"Rie!" Lawden turned around, only to come face-to-face with Teddy, who was glowering down at my ex-boyfriend. "Marks," he growled. I grinned as Lawden took a step to the side; he knew how Ted felt about him. He feared him too, much to my delight.

"I thought you were supposed to meet Teag, Tuck, and I at practice," Teddy said, ignoring Lawden, who was clearly pissed at the fact Ted was here.

"That's where I was headed," I replied, shifting my eyes at Lawden. Ted nodded and wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulders.

"Let's go then," he said, leading me towards the doors to the pitch.

"I guess I'll talk to you later V," Lawden called after us.

Teddy stiffened. "Don't," I hissed. "Leave it alone Ted, we have practice." He sighed and shot a glare back at the boy, then smiled down at me when I poked his side.

"Okay."

---

"Heyyyyyyy chick!" Katie shouted. My cousin swooped down next to me and quickly kissed my cheek. "Where've you been?"

"Oi, Delacour-Weasley!" Tucker shouted from the goalpost where he was currently flirting with Teagan. "You're late!"

"Okay Mom!" I shouted back. I turned to Katie and said, "Let's get up there before he goes into 'I'm-captain-when-Teddy's-not-around-so-you-better-listen-to-me!' mode."

Katie giggled and flung her leg back over her broom, a Firebolt 7000 like Freddie. I followed the suit and took off, letting the wind push the blonde curls out of my face. Teddy released the snitch for James to chase around the stadium before jogging off to find the new bludgers Freddie was whining about.

"Hi! Hi!" Teagan said brightly as Katie and I met up with the rest of the team by the nearest goalposts. She snatched the quaffle Tucker was tossing back and forth from his hands and threw it at me. "You're late gurlita!"

I nodded. "I know this. Remind me to tell you later, kay?" She gave me a thumbs up and fell backwards on the Flameshooter 77 her dad bought last year. The broom did a half-cartwheel and she began to spiral down the center post, like the ribbons Teddy and I used to wrap around the handles of Andromeda's wooden cooking spoons for decoration.

"Rie, you were late…"

"Don't even Tuck!" I snapped before my friend could finish. "Teddy said it was okay, and he's Mr. Captain, so it drop it!"

"RIIIIIIIIEE!" Two hands reached out and tugged on my long ponytail, hands that, of course, belonged to James and his partner in crime: the one and only, Freddie Weasley.

"Let go," I insisted, but not at all harshly, removing the two boys' hands from my hair. They rolled their eyes and I turned my broom a bit to face them. James could be extremely annoying, and if you threw Fred into the mix they were horrible times ten, but I loved both of them to death. My cousins were everything to me, they were the closest things I had to brothers and sisters.

"Victoire, Victoire, Victoire," Freddie sang. He tilted his head to the right and left with each "Victoire," his wild red curls bounced as he moved.

There was something about Freddie that made you automatically believe he was up to something. Most people say it's because his bright blue eyes are always filled with mischief, but I know it's just because he's Uncle George's son. The teachers were terrified when they heard George Weasley's kids would be attending Hogwarts, but were pleasantly surprised once Katie (who has always been more like Aunt Alicia) showed up. For two years, they thought Freddie would be like his older sister, and then he turned eleven and replaced all of Madame Pomfrey's medicines with Nosebleed Nougats and Canary Crèmes in the first week of school. Needless to say, Fred was trouble.

"Hi Freddie," I replied. "You and James have any new pranks planned yet?"

"A couple," he said, rather mysteriously, but than his face lit up. "Like on the night before Halloween, we're going t-"

"Race you to the other goalposts Fred!" James shouted, tugging on one of Freddie's curls. "Last one there sings McGonagall a love song at dinnertime in a bikini!"

"You're on!" Freddie yelled in agreement. I watched my two younger cousins take off, Freddie's bright red ringlets bouncing in his eyes and James trying to keep his glasses from slipping as he looped around Fred.

"Prepare to lose you pumpkin-picker!" James cried as the two boys streaked across the sky in laughter.

"In your dreams Potter!"

"They're crazy!" Katie shrieked. "My brother is absolutely insane!"

I grinned and chucked the quaffle at Tucker, who was demanding (rather loudly I might add) the two third years fly back over to our group. He just didn't want them to be off somewhere else when Teddy returned from the equipment room with the new bludgers. Personally, I think Ted should leave me in charge when he's not here. The power just goes to inflate Tuckers ego.

"Aw, leave them alone Tuck," Katie giggled.

I nodded in agreement with my cousin. "Yeah Tuckerr! They're just excited to be back at practice. Give them a break; you'd be the same way after two weeks of detention with Neville in the greenhouses…Sorting dirt types." This was true, Filch had been overwhelmed after huge amounts of dungbombs, fireworks, and instant-darkness powder had been used in numerous pranks. Teag and I think they must have used up their entire stock by now.

Being Weasley, Potter, and Lupin kids; Ted, Katie, Freddie, James, and I were constantly being compared to our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. But out of the five of us, Freddie and James got it the most. Like their namesakes, my cousins are trouble makers…To the extreme. I can't even remember how many times the professors have called them Sirius Black and James Potter, or Fred and George Weasley. Even Grandma Molly messed up once and referred to them as the twins.

"Point, point, double point!" Teagan said enthusiastically, appearing next to me. "We had to do that once when you and Ted got Rie and I in trouble back during third year. I wouldn't speak to them for a week; Rie wouldn't either and she LIKES dirt."

"I don't like to sort dirt though," I said.

"Whatever," Tucker grumbled, before flying off towards the stands. "It's your fault though!"

"He really needs to party this weekend Rie," Teag sighed, shaking her head at our friend. "He's been acting all uptight lately…and I'm sick of it!"

"So the party's still on?" Katie asked.

"Let's go you lazy asses!" Teddy shouted from the center of the field.

"Always Kate!" I grinned before flying over to Ted.

---

"Sooo," Katie said. "What's the deal with the party?" She pulled her dark red hair into a pony to wring the water out. Her hair, like Teagan's, would dry perfectly straight. Unlike my own which would become a mess of wild waves, not that I really minded that much, I loved my hair.

"Sneaking out to the J, Ka-tie!" Teagan replied immediately. "This Halloween is going to be the wildest yet!"

"Helllll yessss!" Tucker yelled excitedly. He reached over Teagan, Katie, and my heads to slap Teddy's hand.

I laughed and slung an arm over my cousin's shoulders. "Who's all coming from your crew dude? Please tell me not Zoe." Zoe Morgen was another fifth year who was friends with one of Katie's friends. She was basically the fifteen year old version of Tessa, and they just happened to be cousins just to top it off. The girl completely hated Teag, Katie, and I…she was a bitch, plain and simple.

"Ugh, she probably will."

"Kaaaaaatie!" I groaned.

"Rie you know she'll tell on us if she's not invited," she said quickly before Teag could start on her too. "Isn't that the same reason you and Teagan always invite Tessa and her group?"

I nodded. Katie had a point. Tessa and her friends were invited to all the sneak-out parties, because she always knew about them…I guess that's what happens when you have a small army of clones to boss around and spy for you. If we didn't invite Tessa, she would go to McGonagall and the rest of us would be BUSTED.

"Fine, but she better stay away from me or I'll hex her," I threatened. Katie laughed and looped her arm through mine.

"I have absolutely no problem with the Victoire," she giggled. "Just promise that I can be there to watch."

"Who else is coming?" Teagan asked from the other side of Katie.

"Who knows," I shrugged. "Probably a bunch of seventh and sixth years from Ravenclaw, the Hufflepuffs won't sneak out and the Slytherins probably have their own plans anyways….Like getting drunk in their common room. But it'll be wild like always, Ted and Tuck are gonna be there so you know it'll be entertaining."

"Where are we going?" James suddenly appeared in front of us, Freddie next to him. Their eyes, as usual, twinkled as if they were plotting something. It wasn't a big secret that my cousins wanted to crash our Halloween party. For the past two years Ted, Katie, and I have forbidden the boys to sneak out with us (they were only thirteen!), and they had been begging us since first year.

"We," I said, pointing to my friends and Katie, "are going to Hogsmeade. You two, are going to the feast."

"No fair Rie!" Freddie cried. "Katie got to go last year! James and I should get to tag-along this year!" James nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

"Katie was fourteen last year Fred," I replied. "So next year, I'll think about it."

"Victoire!"

"Don't even James," Teddy said quickly. "Rie is completely right, you are too young to be sneaking out!"

"Are not!" They protested.

"Are too!" Katie shot back, glaring at her younger brother.

"Guys," Tuck butted in. "Maybe they have a point, I mean they are thirteen after all. They should get to come with u…" Katie shot him a glare. "Umm."

"See!" Freddie yelled. "Tucker thinks we're old enough!"

"I never said that," Tuck hissed, avoiding Katie's fixed stare.

"You're not going," I said. "And that's that."

---

"Where are James and Fred?" Teagan looked up and down the Gryffindor table and around the Great Hall. "I could've sworn they were right behind us when we walked in."

"Probably pouting that we won't let them come down to Hogsmeade with us," I replied, taking my seat next to her. "Let's just eat, I'm starved since Tuck insisted we run that formation twenty thousand times. We play so much better when we don't plan everything out!"

Katie nodded. "Because you react better Victoire. Whenever you guys work out major arrangements you get hit by bludgers more often, especially you."

"I know! It's because I'm freaking about stupid positioning!"

"Stop whining Rie," Tucker snapped. He reached across the table and grabbed about five rolls before adding almost four spoonfuls of roasted potatoes to his plate. "What?" He said once he realized we were staring. "Carbs are good for athletes, and we all know Rie and Teag only ever eat pasta, pizza, and…"

"Sushi!" Teag shouted excitedly before popping a tuna roll into her mouth. "Mmmm! It's great to have connections in the kitchens!"

"Any California rolls?" Layla Brown took a seat next to Katie. "Hey guys." I smiled and passed her a plate of the avocado and crab rolls.

"Here Rie," Teddy said in disgust, holding out a platter of my favorite rainbow rolls. Tucker pinched his nose as the raw fish passed in front of his face.

"How can you guys eat that?" He asked, glaring at the Japanese food. "It's not healthy!"

"Is too!" Layla replied. She laughed as Teagan whipped a piece of tuna at our friends face. Layla was Katie's best friend, and pretty much the only other female student in the building who didn't completely despise Teag and me. At first, she was really nervous and a bit jumpy around us, especially me. But as time passed she just molded into the group.

"Hey guys!" Freddie ran by quickly, than stopped. He sniffed the air and turned back to face us. "Awesome! Sushi rocks!" He grabbed a California roll off Layla's plate and shoved in his mouth before running up to the Professor's table.

"What is he doing?" Katie asked, slightly bored. We all knew the boys had something planned, they always did, and we were used to it by now.

"Who knows," I said. "Pass the chicken Ted."

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and most honorable teachers of our school," Freddie began, giving the hall an innocent smile. "I am here to present the most wonderful, and amazing, opportunity that will ever be presented to you in your lifetime. What you are about to see is so complex, so spectacular, and just may leave you scarred…BUT, you won't be sorry…at least not today, maybe. I give you: Mr. JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!"

The doors slammed open and the hall erupted in laughter as every student turned to find my cousin, James, standing in the doorway…in a yellow and pink polka-dot ruffle bikini that looked like it belonged to Lily. Even the Slytherins, who were not often amused by James and Fred's pranks, were cracking up. Everyone knew that he was up to something; I mean he was James Potter, when was he not making trouble?

I dared to glance up at the teachers. Slughorn and Flitwick looked amused, Hagrid was suppressing a laugh, Neville (or Professor Longbottom as we were supposed to call him at school) was shaking in his head, and McGonagall was clearly pissed.

"Oh my God!" Teagan shrieked. She collapsed against my shoulder as she laughed. "He went through with it!"

"Of course he did!" Ted shouted proudly. "James wouldn't back down on think kind of thing!"

"What a man!" Tuck hollered. He turned to face us. "I told you he should get to come to the party with us guys, he's a man now!"

"Shut up Tuck," Ted replied.

"Thank you!" James shouted, taking a step into the Great Hall. "Minerva McGonagall, this one's for you! Hit it Fred!"

Freddie, wherever the hell he went to, started up music. The entire student body watched in shock as James opened his mouth, and began to sing.

_"I got a lot of things I have to do _

_All these distractions our future's coming soon_

_We're being pulled_

_A hundred different directions_

_But whatever happens_

_I know I've got you _

_You're on my mind_

_You're in my heart_

_It doesn't matter where we are_

_We'll be alright _

_Even if we're miles apart"_

"What the hell is this?" Teagan laughed.

"Some song from that muggle movie 'High School Musical'," I shouted back over the laughter. "James loves the movies, he begged Granddad to take him to the theater when the third one came out last year." Katie and Layla doubled over in hysterics.

"He's obsessed!" Teddy yelled. "I hear him singing the songs over and over again in his room when he thinks no one is listening."

James, still singing, jumped atop the Gryffindor table and began to walk down the center throwing his arms in the air as everyone moved cleared their plated out of his way.

_"All I wanna do, MINNIE! Is be with you _

_Be with you _

_There's nothing we can't do_

_Just wanna be with you, only you_

_No matter where life takes us _

_Nothing can break us apart_

_You know it's true_

_I just wanna be with you_

_Yeah, yeah_

_Just be with you"_

"Look at McGonagall's face!" Layla cried, pointing at our headmistress. The poor woman was completely horrified by my cousin walking towards her singing.

_"You know how life can be_

_It changes overnight_

_It's sunny then raining, but it's alright_

_A friend like you _

_Always makes it easy_

_I know that you get me_

_Every time _

_Through every up, through every down_

_You know I'll always be around_

_Through anything you can count on me"_

James reached the end of the table and leapt into the air. He landed in a somersault and remained on his knees, belting out the song with all his heart.

_"All I wanna do, MINNIE! Is be with you _

_Be with you _

_there's nothing we can't do Minnie!_

_Just wanna be with you, only you_

_No matter where life takes us _

_Nothing can break us apart_

_You know it's true_

_I just wanna be with you_

_Yeah, yeah_

_Just be with you Minnie, be with you!_

_Oh,_

_I just wanna be with you_

_Miiiiinnnnnniiiiiiiiiieeeeee!"_

"Detention!" McGonagall barked. "You too Mr. Weasley!"

----

**A/N: I know this a shortish-chapter, but I really wanted to get one up for you guys and I got everything done that I wanted to in the chapter so yeah:)****I really wanna say thanks to the reviewer by no_name, your review was awesome:) Thank you so much!****And of course thank to everyone else who continues to read and review this story, you guys are great!****The song is from High School Musical 3, I had it stuck in my head while I was writing this so I hope you guys liked it.****xoxo,****l o v e 16**


	6. Halloween Fun?

"Pssst, Teagan," I whispered. She rolled over in her sleep, I think, she might be awake…But she certainly doesn't want to be. "Teagan come on! We've gotta wake Katie and Layla up, not to mention Ted and Tucker."

"Go back to sleep Rie," she whined, squeezing her eyes shut. "It's too early!"

"We went to bed early last night, remember?" I replied, poking her stomach. Normally we would stay up talking the whole night, and we always stayed up late in the common room with the guys to avoid our roommates. But since it was Halloween, we'd decided to hit the sack around eight-thirtyish or nine so we wouldn't be tired later on when we headed down to Hogsmeade. "Teaaaaag! Don't make me jump on you!"

"Ugh, Victoire," my friend moaned. "I don't care, it's your head. Tessa'll kill you."

"Bullllll shit!" I said. "Okay maybe not, but I'll dump water on you or something if you don't get up right now Teagan Oliver!"

"Rie…"

I cut her off, "Don't make me go get Tuck and Ted to wake you up."

That got her up. Neither one of us particularly liked our friends' wake-up-Victoire-and-Teagan plan, which was simply jumping on the bed screaming at us to get up. Being dragged out of a peaceful sleep by your body thrown in the air really was not as great as it sounds; it was actually kind of horrible, but it was our favorite way to wake up the boys…payback baby!

Teagan grabbed my arm and yanked me over to the door. "Let's go dude," she giggled. I swear we are both bipolar or something. We can be pissed or tired one second and bubbly or happy the next, it's actually kind of creepy. I told Aunt Gin about this once, she laughed it off and said it was probably because we were just naturally happy people and couldn't stay upset (or not hyper) for more than a minute. My cousin Allison thinks we both need to be hospitalized or on Ritalin, but she's a bitch so what does she know?

The stairs creaked as we snuck down to the fifth-year girls' dorm; they really need to consider rebuilding half the school over the summer. It wasn't like any of us would be walking down the hallway and fall through the floor, but the creaking was mad annoying. Not to mention it made it extremely difficult to sneak up on people. But McGonagall insisted on keeping the school exactly the way it had been since the day Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin had founded the building.

"Shhh! Rie watch your step," Teagan giggled as I set my foot on the bottom stair. "You know that stair squeaks the loudest!" I nodded and hopped down to the landing where the dormitory of the fifteen year olds was located. Luckily, the door hinges were the only thing that didn't screech when they moved.

"Follow me," I said softly, moving into the room quietly. Zoe Morgen and her friends were passed out on the near side of the room, this could be fun. We crept over to my cousin's and Layla's beds. "One, two…."

"WAKE UP HOEBAGS!" Teagan screamed, belly-flopping on top of Layla. I followed the suit and bounced on top of Katie's side. "IT'S HALLOWEENIE BABES!"

"KATIIIIIEEEEE! PARTY TIME!" I cried, tugging on her burgundy-colored hair. "C'MON LADIES, THERE'S MUCH PLANNING TO BE DONE…AND FRED AND JAMSIE COMPLETED A NEW PRANK LAST NIGHT!"

"Greeeat," Katie replied, rolling over to face me. I landed on the ground with a thud and Teagan cracked up, until Layla shoved her off her own bed. "Maybe they'll get detention tonight and won't be able to make an attempt to sneak out with us."

"Wishful thinking!" Layla laughed. Teagan chucked a pillow at the girls face. "You missed!" She waved the pillow in front of my friend's face tauntingly, her chocolate hair bouncing in its ponytail.

"Shut up Layla," Teagan grumbled. She grabbed the pillow and threw it, as if it were a bomb, to the other side of the room. "Take cover! Dive! Dive! Dive!"

I let out a laugh as she pushed Katie off the bed and yanked Layla down to the floor. Teagan was such a kid at heart, much like me, and I loved it. Katie was rolling around next to my feet, holding in her own giggles. The floor groaned as Zoe Morgen got out of bed and angrily stomped over to where we were hiding.

"Do you guys have to be so loud?" She snapped, tossing her highlighted brown hair over her shoulder. "Some of us are still trying to sleep."

"Tell you cousin that," I replied, rather snottily. "She's the one who blasts music in the morning and screams at her friends while Teagan and I are trying to sleep."

"Ugh, what-ever Victoire," Amy sneered, coming to her friends side. "You're just jealous."

Teagan snorted. "That's exactly it," she said, nodding her head at the ditzy fifth-year. "See you later Kate, Lay, we have to go wake up the boys." Teagan got to her feet and yanked me up off the ground. "Party's at the J!"

"Kay!" Katie called as we slammed the door.

---

"Shhhh!" I hissed, as Teagan grinned at the room of boys snoring. For some odd reason, my friend has always found snoring extremely amusing. I don't really get it to be honest, it's just snoring. But she always cracks up whenever she hears it…What a weirdo. "Teag, if they wake up I'm blaming this whole operation on you!"

"Victoire, you know they aren't," she chuckled.

"They will when you start gasping for air because you're laughing so hard because they're snoring!" I replied, elbowing her in the ribs. "And then we will be…"

"DEAD!" Teddy shouted tackling us from behind. It felt like he was trying to smash our ribs or something, especially when Tucker joined the pile.

"I admire you for trying ladies," Tuck yawned, propping himself up on one of his elbows that was now digging into my back. "But did you really think you would ever get away with this? I mean really, we are Teddy Lupin and Tucker Conway. You never stood chan-OW!"

"Get offa mee!" I whined after elbowing Tucker in the stomach. "Or I'll sick a band of monkeys on you!"

"There are monkeys at Hogwarts?" Tuck asked, confused.

"Don't be such a blonde Tuck," Teagan sighed, smacking the top of his head lightly. "Geez, and they say Rie and I aren't morning people. At least we have the ability to realize when someone's joking. And get off her while she can still breathe."

"Sorry Rie," he said quickly, rolling away from me.

"It's 'kay," I smiled.

"At least SOMEONE'S not a total bitch in the morning," he smirked. Teagan scowled and grabbed my wrist for the second time that morning. God, you could still see the red handprint from last time, my poor arm is going to bruise. Note to self: keep Teag away from Zoe, Tessa, Megan, and Tucker in the mornings; the results kind of suck.

"Let's go get dressed for breakfast Rie," she snapped, before dragging me off.

"Save me!" I cried, trying to keep a straight face. "Teddy, Tucker, save me! She's going to eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat me!"

"Rawr!" Teagan added, rather pathetically I might add, which only made the situation funnier.

"You guys are kind of horrible Knights in Shining Armor," I said to the two boys who were doubled over in hysterics. "And Teag, you make a pretty shitty monster. Rawr? Really? I'm totally about to beast my way out of here!" With that said, I wiggled free of Teagan's grasp and bolted out the door. My three best friends chased after me, and reached the landing outside the boy's dorm in time to watch me slide down the railing of the stairs.

"Catch me if you can Losers!" I screeched at a pitch very similar to Megan's. Teagan laughed and raced down the stairs, trying not to trip on her way down. Can you say FACEPLANT? "You're so out of shape Teag," I teased as she ran around the common room and I avoided her rather skillfully, jumping over that couch is not as easy as it looks!

"Ooo Victoire! When I catch you I'm going to make you eat twenty Twinkies!" She threatened. "Then we'll see who's out of shape!"

"Seventeen knuts on Delacour!" A boy's voice yelled. I looked up to see we were no longer alone in the common room. The other Gryffindors were standing outside of their dormitories watching as Teagan and I chased one another around the room. The girls looked annoyed, except for Katie and Layla who were chanting our names as if we were at a sporting event, and the boys looked amused. I guess it was somewhat nice to wake up to two hot girls running around in pajama shorts and t-shirts, especially if those two girls were Teagan and I.

"Nah, Oliver'll catch her in no time!" Another disagreed. "There's no way Victoire can outrun her."

"Got you!" Teagan shouted. Her hand closed around my ankle as I tried to make a second escape over the arm chair. "SHIT!" The chair toppled over, taking us with it, and slammed against the maroon carpet. I landed face down with her elbow on my calf, what else were we supposed to do other than laugh?

"What is going on here?"

The whole Gryffindor population turned to find Professors McGonagall and Longbottom standing near the entrance of the tower. Neville, as usual, looked a bit amused at his surroundings. Ever since us Weasley-Potter-Lupin kids showed up at school he's had that expression on his face. I think that it's because we remind him so much of our parents. McGonagall looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh and look serious at the same time; it wasn't working out so well.

"Miss Oliver, please get off Miss Weasley," she began, rubbing her temples. The poor woman gained so many stress lines when we enrolled at Hogwarts. "And then the two of you can please return the chair to its proper position. The rest of you can turn right back around and get ready for breakfast." She looked around the room. "But Professor Longbottom and I would like to see James Potter and Fred Weasley in my office please. Neville, would you please wait for them? I think I'm getting a migraine."

"Sure thing Professor," Neville said, nodding his head. All four of us (Teagan, Tucker, Teddy, and I) agree that he still has a difficult time with calling his former teacher Minerva. Uncle Harry told us that it was because he was always extremely intimidated by the Transfiguration professor. He turned to face us as McGonagall left. "Get a move on it girls."

Teagan and I giggled and stood the chair back up before skipping off to the dorm. The party was less ten hours away, and we had tons of stuff to do, plus there was still breakfast…Being the planners of an infamous Halloween party was stressful! Okay, that's total bullshit…it was just plain fun.

---

"Oi!" Teagan turned away from the bathroom mirror to face me. "Toss me those socks," I said. She grabbed the yellow socks from the dresser next to the bathroom and chucked them at me. "Nice." They fell two feet short of my bed. Instead of getting off my butt to retrieve them, I decided to glare at the back of my best friend's head as she towel-dried her hair.

"What?" She asked, spinning around on the tile floor. See, if I were wearing my socks like she was (only hers were purple) I would be able to slide around the lavatory too. "Don't give me that look Victoire Marie, I'm busy. Get off your lazy ass and get the socks yourself."

"Remind me to throw a roll of toilet paper at your head later when you least expect it," I said, crawling to the end of the bed. Teagan laughed as I leaned over the foot board and tried to grab my socks.

"It would be easier if you just got up like a normal person Rie," she giggled.

"Teagan, we've been best friends for what, five years now? You should know by now that I am the farthest thing from normal. SCORE!" I snatched socks up and managed to sit back up on the bed.

"Very true," she agreed. "You're somewhat of a complete weirdo."

"What a good friend you are," I said, yanking the stretchy yellow material over my white-as-ice feet.

She rolled her eyes. "Grab that shirt for me," Teagan said, nodding at the navy Puddlemere United tee that had been thrown across her bed.

"Here," I quickly crossed the room and held the shirt out to my dark haired friend, "is that a new one?" I asked. The back of the shirt said 'WOOD' at the top of her back with a number one under it.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Dad just sent it to me yesterday, hasn't even been released yet." Teagan's parents were always sending her stuff from their trips. I think the reason her dad did was because he felt bad about divorcing her mum, not that she seemed to mind much anymore. Plus, he just liked to spoil her rotten (our dads had that in common). Marianna was always sending her clothes from designers, in hope that her daughter would stop wearing ripped up jeans and t-shirts like I always did. These boxes were searched by the two of us, picking out a few things, before being thrown in the corner. Who needed at cocktail dress at Hogwarts for crying out loud?

"It's cool," I offered and Teagan beamed. She loved her dad to death, and was extremely proud to be the daughter of the number one keeper (even though he's almost 40!) in the league.

"Thanks, Rie."

I nodded and pulled my orange WWW's t-shirt over my head, it kind of clashed with my green shorts and yellow socks, but I really didn't care. Uncle George always says I'm his favorite out of all the nieces and nephews because I practically live in the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes t-shirts he sends me. Who wouldn't be psyched at all the free advertising? Not that he really needed it; WWW had put Zonko's out of business a long time ago.

"Can we go?" I whined, shoving my feet into a pair of, what Lily calls, 'potato shoes'. "I'm hungry, and we have to be down there to confirm times for people."

"Yeah," Teagan flipped her hair forward. "Let's just go."

---

"Hey guys." Teddy and Tucker looked up to greet us. I smiled and plopped down on the bench next to Ted, starving. "Anything good to eat this morning?" I asked, gesturing towards the food-cover table.

"Just the usual," Tucker replied as Teagan sat down next to him and across from me. "Have you guys seen James and Fred? They haven't come back from McGonagall's office yet, we're starting to worry."

"No," Teagan said, helping herself to a muffin.

"Ew, Teagan," Tessa snapped, coming up behind my dark-haired friend. "Don't you know that muffins are, like, totally carb-loaded? Are you trying to put on weight or something?"

"Ugh, go away Tessa," Teagan groaned, stuffing a piece of the blueberry muffin in her mouth. "I'm trying to eat, and you're making me lose my appetite."

"Whatever," she retorted, rolling her eyes at us. "I was just coming over to find out what time everyone is supposed to meet up at."

"Seven-ish," I said quickly, hoping she would leave us alone. Tessa turned on her heel and came face to face with Maddy Richards.

There was something about Maddy that made me strongly dislike her, and I really don't know what it was. I guess she was nice enough, but she'd always come off slightly cold whenever I was around. Teagan is convinced that it's because Maddy, just like almost every other girl at school, has the hots for Teddy. Being Teddy's best friend, and the number one girl in his life, doesn't exactly win me any points with her.

"Hi Teddy," she said, moving past Tessa.

"Hey," he replied, barely looking at her.

"I was wondering what time the party is tonight."

"Seven," I said, before Teddy could even look up. "At the J."

"Oh." She gave me a small glare. "Thanks Victoire, I guess I'll see you there."

"Maybe," I nodded once. "Or maybe not, it's a big club."

"Yeah, I guess. See you guys around."

"Bye Maddy," Teddy said as the seventh year Ravenclaw walked off. "Jeez Rie, bitch much?"

"Me?" I asked, stunned at my best friends reaction. "She's the one who glares at me for no effing reason Ted. It's not my fault that we're best friends and she has the obvious hots for you, or that you don't like sluts."

"Rie!"

"What? It's true! Are Teagan and I the only ones who notice how short some of these girls' skirts are? It's totally disgusting Ted."

"What is your problem with girls that like me Victoire?" Teddy asked harshly. Teagan and Tucker both looked up from their plates in surprise. Ted had never spoken to me in a tone like that. Sure he was often sarcastic, but I can't remember a time when he had ever yelled at me…Never. I'd heard him snap at other people, but never me.

"Ted," I said. "I don't have a problem…"

"That's total bullshit Rie," he cut me off. "You have hated every single girl I have ever dated. Hell! I bet you'd turn on Teagan if she and I went out."

"God! What is with the boys at this school!? You're all on drugs or something, I swear you are. Let me tell you something The-o-dore, every single girl you've dated, yeah they hated me from day one." I stood up. "I'm going to go take a nap for tonight… Talk to guys later."

"Wait, Rie," Teagan called. She got up and raced down the aisle to meet me by the doors. "I'm tired too, I'll go with you." I nodded and followed her out the doors, leaving the staring students of Hogwarts behind.

"Did that just happen?" She asked, once we'd reached the first staircase. I took a deep breath and nodded, wiping at my eyes. Crying was not something I liked to do, and I didn't often. "Are you ok Victoire?"

"That was just so weird, you know," I answered, taking deep breaths.

"I've never heard him talk to you like that," Teagan said, giving me a concerned look.

"He probably just didn't get enough sleep," I sighed. "We'll be fine later." She gave me an uncertain smile and linked her arm through mine.

"You guys always are."

---

About seven hours later…

"Photo op!" Teagan insisted, pulling on my arm so I stood next to her in front of the mirror. She held a camera up in the air and snapped a picture. "Ew!"

I laughed. "Give me a break Teag; I was so not ready for that picture to be taken!"

"Ok, ok," she agreed. "Try again." I plastered a smile on my face and pressed my cheek against hers. A perfect shot.

"Cute!" she cheered, thrusting the camera in front of my face. "See?"

I nodded in agreement. We both wore (naturally) ripped skinny jeans, hers were light and mine were dark. Through the tears in our knees you could see the colors of the leggings we wore underneath. My leggings were yellow and Teagan's were purple, our favorite colors. Like every other Halloween, we wore copies of the "Pink Ladies" jackets from the muggle movie "Grease" (Aunt 'Mione got us hooked!) over our gray Gryffindor Quidditch Team t-shirts. We never saw the need to throw on a slutty outfit when heading off to these parties, unlike every other girl who attended (minus Katie and Layla of course).

Teagan ran out to the room and hopped onto her bed. She grabbed a new pair of the gladiator style shoes her mom had sent her and threw them on, letting the straps cover the bottoms of her jeans. I grabbed a pair of rubber flip flops, which I always wore unless snow covered the ground, and slid my feet into them.

"There," she lifted her feet up to inspect the shoes, "perfect."

"Can we go then?" I whined. "It's almost six fifty! I don't want to be late to the first party this year. Ted and Tuck will make up some story about how we chickened out or something."

"Yes, o whiney one," Teagan laughed, putting her feet back on the ground and standing up. "Let's go see if Ka-tie-tie and Laylerrs are ready! Race you!"

We stared each other down for a second before bolting to the door, and making an attempt to shove both our bodies through the door at the same time. Zoe and her friends had already left with Tessa and them, so the fifth year dorm was completely empty besides Layla and Katie.

"Hey chickadees!" Teagan said happily, jumping onto Katie's bed to sit next to Layla. Katie stood in the bathroom, yanking a brush through her thick hair. "Are you guys gonna be ready to go down soon? Ted stopped by our room and said that Filch is in his office, staring at a picture of Umbridge again…crying."

Kate, Layla, and I laughed. Filch always got upset around Halloween, when the prank rates were highest (thank you James and Fred!). Kids always hear him muttering about Dolores Umbridge, the love of his life, and how he wishes she were still in charge of the school. Last year, Freddie and James managed to make a double of her that walked and talked, and Filch fell for hit. He was all happy until he realized she wasn't real. My cousins got two weeks' worth of cleaning the dungeons for that.

"Well, I'm ready," Layla replied. "Miss Katie on the other hand, is taking for-ev-er."

"Shut up Lay," Katie yelled. "You're just impatient."

"Very true," agreed Layla. "I'm gonna head down with Rie and Teagan, no point in waiting for you since you already know the way."

"Go ahead," Katie said, tugging on a strand of hair that wasn't behaving. She sighed, "Victoire, do you want to trade hair for the night?"

"And be a redhead? Ew! No way Kate!" I squealed. "Besides, you have gor-ge-ous hair dear, why would you want mine?"

"To impress Brendan," Layla giggled, only to have Katie chuck the hairbrush at her. Teagan made kissing noises.

"Shut up and go," Katie said, trying to hold back a smile. "I'll be there in fifteen."

"See you then Dah-ling," Teagan said in a hoity-toity manner. She linked arms with Layla and me, pulling us to the door.

"Say hi to Brendan!" Layla shrieked before the door closed behind us.

---

"Hey! Hey!" Teagan cried as we approached the group of seventh, sixth, and a few select fifth years standing outside the J. "What are you guys looking at?"

Tucker moved away from Megan, who looked like she'd already gotten a hold of a bottle of fire whiskey, and joined Layla, Teag, and I.

"That." He spun Teagan around to face the castle, which was covered in toilet paper. "Fred and James strike again. Probably why McGonagall wanted to see them earlier. They've been hiding out in the Room of Requirement ever since it happened."

Even though it was a typical, and slightly boring, muggle prank, I had to give my cousins props. No one has ever TP'd Hogwarts, no one, not even Uncle George and Uncle Fred back in their days at school. Plus, the prank must've taken them at least an hour to get every inch of the school…and A LOT of toilet paper.

"Wow," I finally said as Layla giggled. "My cousins are insane…and I have never been more proud of that."

"Oi!" Teddy shouted from behind us. I whipped around at the sound of my best friend's voice. "Are you guys going to stare at a TP'd castle all night, or party?" He glanced away as I caught his eye. "I for one am here to party." Teagan let out a small gasp as he put an arm around Maddy's shoulders, much to her delight, and steered her into the club. I froze. Maybe Teddy and I weren't going to just go back to normal.

"Let's go," Tucker said quickly, throwing an arm around me as Lawden looked over at us. Teagan grabbed Layla's hand and pulled her after us, staring down my ex. Whoever invited him was getting the Bat-Bogey Hex later. Hell, he might even get it if he comes anywhere near me.

"Yeah," I agreed, wrapping my arm around Tucker's waist. "It's Halloween, let's just have fun." Of course, watching my best friend hit on a girl that hates me, avoiding my crazy ex-boyfriend, and holding Teagan's hair while she pukes because she drank too much after watching Tuck dancing with Tessa or someone didn't exactly sound like fun.

---

"Katie!" I shouted happily, pulling my cousin into a hug before yanking her down on the barstool next to me. "Where the hell have you been?! I was starting to think Filch caught you on your way out."

She laughed. "Please Rie! Like he could ever bust a Weasley kid! I was just…Talking to someone." Even in the dimly lit room I could see the fifteen year olds face flush red.

"Oh my God! Brendan?!" I guessed.

"Maybe…" she said mysteriously, before bursting into giggles and nodding. "He asked me to meet him in the common room after everyone else left to talk."

"Annnd?"

"We're kinda together," replied Katie, with a huge grin on her face.

"Score!" I shouted, smacking my hand down on the bar. "Two double shots of the fire whiskey!" The twenty year old bartender who had been staring at me all evening nodded eagerly and raced the other guy to get the drinks.

"Thanks," I said sweetly, giving the two men the infamous Delacour smile and turning back to Katie. "We've gotta celebrate this dude! It's not like I'm making you gulp down a whole glass, and you've had this stuff before," I added.

"Alright, alright," Katie agreed, raising her shot glass in the air.

"Wait!" We spun around to fin Tucker standing there. "I want to celebrate!" I turned back to the barmen, ready to order a third for Tuck, only to find there was already one there. Being a veela defiantly has its advantages at the J. I handed the glass to Tucker.

"To Brendan finally getting up and growing the balls to ask our dear Katie out here!" He toasted, before tossing back the liquor. Katie and I cracked up and followed the suit.

"Here here!" Teagan yelled, shimmying over to us. "Some Ravenclaw stole Layla to dance, so one of you needs to get off your ass and dance with me!"

"I'll go," I said immediately. I wasn't an extreme drinker at these parties; my limit was one glass of fire whiskey, but I loved to dance. Plus, keeping Teagan, who inherited her father's party trait, away from the bar was for the best. "Katie needs to go find Brendan and everyone knows Tucker's a lamely horrible dancer!"

Tucker scowled and grabbed our hands pulling us towards the dance floor. "There's no way in hell you two are leaving me where Megan can find my single butt and throw herself all over me. Plus, I am a wonderful dancer!"

I threw my arms in the air excitedly and twirled around; dancing was one of the most amazing feelings. Like swimming on land, and I know that sounds crazy but you get the same sensation. I feel so free when I dance, just like floating through the water.

Teagan shimmied over next to me, bumping her hip against my own. I opened my eyes and knocked her side. Tucker was next to us, doing ridiculous dance moves like the moon walk or the sprinkler. Tucker really was a pretty good dancer for a guy, but whenever he danced with Teag or me he always pulled out his lamest moves just to make us laugh…and it worked. Teagan cracked up as he made an attempt at the running man.

"See ladies!" he shouted gleefully, spinning on the spot. "I am an AMAZINGLY DELIGHTFUL dancer!" I laughed, if there was one thing Tucker was good for, it was being a distraction from everything else that was going on.

"HOT!" Teagan shouted as he busted out into, as he put it, the booty dance.

"Yeah Tuck!" I yelled over Celestina Warbeck's latest, and equally awful as the others, song. Honestly, I don't know how Grandma Molly could stand her music. It wasn't like she had a bad voice, but her songs were all somewhat whiny.

Couples around us sent strange looks in our direction as Tucker moved on to the "lawn mower" and Teagan and I whirled around laughing our asses off. I guess we did look kind of odd since the song was one of Celestina's typical slow ballads about love. But it was no fun to sway in the manner everyone else was, and I was here to have fun. And apparently Freddie and James felt the same way since they were currently dancing on the tables.

"Oi," I said, grabbing Teagan's arm out of the air and turning her so she could see the thirteen year olds dancing like Go-Go dancers. "What the bloody hell are they doing here?" I shot a glare at Tucker who gave me an innocent look.

"Rie," he said quickly, putting his hands out in front of him as if trying to stop me from attacking him. "I value my life far too much to ever invite them after you already told me not to."

"Point," said Teagan quickly in defense of our friend.

"Where's Kate?" I stood on my tiptoes, scanning the room for my cousin. Brendan was talking to some of his friends, but Katie was absent from the group. She couldn't have left, Katie was far too responsible to just disappear without informing Teagan, Teddy, or I. And she would never get drunk…Like I said, she's responsible.

"There." Teagan nudged my side with her elbow and pointed over at the table Freddie and James were on top of. Katie was making her way towards the two boys, fuming.

"Be back in a second," I sighed. "Gotta go yell at them." Teagan nodded and Tucker twirled her back around to dance. Those two were so made for each other.

Katie was yelling at my cousins when I finally managed to get through the crowd.

"God! I can't bloody believe you guys!" She screeched as her face turned the famous Weasley red. "Victoire, Teddy, and I clearly said no to you sneaking out! And what the hell are you drinking?! "

"Chill Kate," Fred replied coolly, jumping down next to his older sister. "It's butterbeer, sniff?" Katie knocked the bottle away from her face and gave the redhead a murderous look.

"You guys are leaving," I said, coming up behind Katie who looked like she was about to strangle her brother. Which wouldn't be good, I don't think the family would be to happy losing another Fred.

"You're not the boss Rie," James insisted, hopping off the table to stand next to Freddie. "Fred and I can be here if we want to!"

"I'll be the boss when we owl your parents…"

James cut me off, "And what Rie? Tell them we snuck out to your party when you're supposed to be at the castle to? Wanna bet on how much trouble you'll be in when your parents find out you've been sneaking out since fourth year? Not to mention their reaction when they find out you and Kate have been drinking fire whiskey."

We glared at each other for five minutes before I gave in. "Fine," I snapped. "But if I catch you with anything but butterbeer or water in your hand, you're done."

"Alright," Freddie agreed immediately before James could mess up the deal.

Katie looked like she wanted to argue, but I pulled her away before she could say anything in front of the boys. "I know Katie," I said once she opened her mouth. "But we'll be in more shit if they leave. They're not going to drink the fire whiskey, it'll be ok. So just go hang with Brendan and Lay, ok?"

"Yeah," she said. "Alright Victoire, but they're your responsibility now." I nodded and pushed her towards the fifth year group.

"Hey V." Oh God, not again. Seriously, was my life some bad muggle reality TV show where my annoying ex-boyfriend popped up every episode? I'm so tired of him following me around.

"Take one step closer to me and I'll hit you with a Bat-Bogey Hex," I threatened, whipping my head around. "God Lawd, can you even take a hint?"

"I can," Lawden said quickly. "But, I don't really want to Victoire."

"Learn how to change your mind," I hissed.

Lawden looked over my shoulder and smirked. "Lupin's with Richards now?"

"I don't kn-what's it to you Marks?"

"My bad," he said, still grinning like an idiot. "I assumed you would know since you two are such great friends. But maybe that's only the case when he doesn't have a girlfriend." My eyes scanned the crowd quickly, trying to find Tucker to get rid of Lawden. "Maybe you should have listened to me V. Lupin doesn't seem to have a problem ditching you for Maddy over there."

"Shut up," I said. "Are you really that desperate that you have to try and start shit Lawden? Grow up and go hit on some bimbo." Katie spotted us and started to make her way back over.

"Rie!" She yelled, reaching out and grabbing my arm. "Come dance with Layla and I."

I smiled gratefully at my cousin. "Thanks Kate, you saved me from having my brain washed again!"

She laughed and shouted, "No problem!" over the music. I threw my arms in the air and made a face at Layla who was dancing nearby. I'd spent almost the whole evening worrying about something, and I was sick of it. Halloween was supposed to be fun, not stressful! All I was going to do now was dance with Lay and Kate, and forget all the issues going on around me.

"Get your party on!" I sang, very off-key, along with the music.

"Hey Victoire," Layla said, pulling me next to her. "Hottie alert, right behind you."

"Where?" Katie laughed as I whipped my head around, getting a mouthful of blonde waves. Layla was right, the beach-blonde surfer-type guy near the bar was cute, and probably the cutest boy I'd ever seen. His hair was perfectly messy, but in that "I just left the beach" kinda way, and his eyes seemed to smile. "Ooo! Really cute!"

"So," yelled Katie. "Go talk to him Rie!"

"Nah," I replied, turning back to face the two girls. "I think I'll just stay with you guys."

"Not a chance Rie," Layla said, shoving me in the direction of the boy. "Go talk to him, ask him to dance or get a drink…SOMETHING! Maybe it'll get the message across to Lawden that you're done with him."

"See you guys in a bit," I said automatically before pushing through the crowd. It wasn't like I was just going to talk to him so Lawd would leave me alone, that was just a bonus. I could feel the surfer boy's eyes on me as I brushed past him to order a butterbeer. Five…four…three…two…

"Hey." I smiled, sometimes boys were so predictable.

"Hey," I said, turning to face him. He was even cuter up close, if that was even possible. Plus, he had at least two inches on me…What can I say? I like tall guys.

"So, you're friends tell you to come over here and ask me to dance?"

I shook my head. "No, just to talk to you. They said you didn't look like a good dancer."

"I will have you know," he grinned. "That I am an excellent dancer, when I want to be."

"That's what I told them," I smirked, shrugging my shoulders a bit. "But they didn't believe me."

"Andy."

"Victoire," I giggled

"Alright then Victoire," Andy said. "I would go prove your friends wrong, but unfortunately I don't have anyone to dance with."

"That's too bad Andy," I fake-frowned and got up from the barstool, heading back towards the group. "You know," I turned back to face him and his face lit up. "I have this friend…"

"Victoire," he took a step, putting himself extremely close to me. "Let's dance."

"Kay." I grabbed his hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor.

**A/N: I know that just cuts off in a wierd place:( But I have a plan...promise! Review pretty pretty please!?**


	7. Teddy's Confession

"OW! Shit Teddy let go of my hair," I hissed as we finally made it through the door of the boy's dormitory. He's in so much trouble when he wakes up tomorrow… and dealing with the major hang over he'll have, is only going to make it worse. I'm going to scream, and jump on his stomach, and set off a bunch of fireworks just to piss him off. That's what he gets for drinking so much and trying to rip the hair from my scalp. "Tuck, a little help here?"

"Sorry Rie," my only sober/completely sane friend called from the bathroom where you could hear Teagan upchucking every five minutes. "I'm a little busy trying to make sure Teag doesn't drown herself in the toilet!"

"Let her!" I shouted. "Maybe she'll finally learn her damn lesson! OW!" Teddy yanked on my hair again.

"Here." Tucker joined Ted and I near the door and somehow managed to get Teddy's hand untangled from my mass of blonde waves. "Shit," he muttered as Teagan hurled again.

"Give her this," I tossed a small box at him. "Uncle George sent it to me. The pills stop the vomiting."

"Thanks Rie," he said, before returning to the bathroom. He paused in the doorway. "I'll give it to her and then come get Teddy to take care of him if you want. I'm sure getting our little partier to sleep will be much easier than dealing with Ted."

"Nah," I replied leaning Teddy against the wall. "I'll deal with him, just get Teag to bed so she'll have enough energy to fight the massive hang over she's going to have tomorrow morning."

"Kay."

I looked down at my very drunk best friend, he looked pathetic. His hair was an extremely mousy brown color, which I'd only ever seen when he was upset…Maybe he and Maddy didn't work out like he hoped, I'm trying not to be happy at that thought. Of course, it could have just been influenced by all of the firewhiskey (and whatever else he had to drink) he was tossing back earlier…Teddy didn't usually get drunk. Usually it was the two of us hauling Tucker and Teagan back up to the castle after a party.

"Bathroom's open," Tucker said carrying Teag over to one of the beds. "Looks like I got her out of there just in time, Ted's going green."

I don't know how the hell I got Teddy all the way up to the dorm without getting caught and then somehow managed to get him to the bathroom (he's not exactly light!) before he puked…but I did. And personally, I believe I should be awarded for the accomplishment.

He threw up more than Teagan ever did, I would know since I'm always the one holding her hair, how he even consumed all of the alcohol…I don't know. Tucker came back to the bathroom twice, offering the pills Teagan had taken and to watch him for me…I refused both and he went back to sleep. So I sat with Teddy on the floor of the boy's bathroom, not even considering how disgusting it was, and watched him puke for at least an hour. I'm not kidding…I timed him. After three minutes into the second hour, I took pity on him and gave him the medicine Teagan had been lucky enough to receive. He was able to walk a little better after that, I'm proud to report that he made it to his bed without running into anything…except a door…that was open, but that's not the point.

"I'm sooosorryRie," he slurred. I rolled my eyes and climbed up next to him.

"I know Ted," I replied. "Just go to sleep, okay?"

"Iamthoughhh," he said again. "Sosorry. I love you Rierie."

I was trying really hard not to laugh now…so Teddy was a funny drunk. "I know, just go to sleep. You're head is going to hurt so bad tomorrow."

"Idunntcuur!" Teddy said rather loudly. It's a good thing his roommates are all still down in Hogsmeade or they'd beat his ass. When he spoke again, he didn't sound very drunk, "I love you Victoire! You'rethe onlyone Iloveanymore."

"I know Teddy," I repeated for the third time.

"Promise?" He yawned.

"Promise, just go to sleep sweetie."

It took him about three minutes, and then he was out like a light. I swear, he snores louder when he's drunk…Which was part of the reason I was up all night staring at the ceiling.

Something about my best friend tonight was off. First, he freezes me out and then he gets drunk? Now he's confessing that he loves me? What event could have occurred that would cause Teddy Lupin, my responsible (he is, just a bit crazy at times) best friend, to get himself drunk at our Halloween party?

-

_"I'm going to get water!" I shouted over the pounding of some muggle song. "Be back in a sec." Katie twirled around once and nodded. Layla shimmied over and hip-checked my cousin closer to Brendan…causing her cheeks to flame the famous Weasley red._

_"I'll get it," Andy offered. _

_"Thanks," I smiled. "But I think I'll come too. I need to sit down for a minute, my feet kill!" With that established I grabbed Andy's hand and pulled him through the crowd to the bar._

_"Be right back," he said, moving past me to get to the bar. Why had it taken me so long to find this guy?! He was perfection in human form! _

_First of all, he never went to Hogwarts, so he didn't know what a huge loser I am at school. He grew up in California (he's a surfer…how dead on was I???) and went to some American wizarding school…which is a bit weird to think about since the only schools for wizards and witches I have ever heard about are here in Europe. Secondly, he was amazing. Pretty much perfect boyfriend material: he was nice to my cousins, funny, cute, not a complete idiot, and he wasn't just looking at the fact that I'm part veela. He also had an aunt that lives in France, which would win Grandmère Apolline's seal of approval. I wasn't so sure about how Teddy would react to Andy…but he was pissed at me anyways, so what did it matter?_

_"Hey Rie." Speak of the devil. Teddy stood in front of me, making an attempt to avoid my eyes once more. _

_"Hi," I said brightly. To be honest, I should really be a jerkwad to him, but it's Teddy so I can't. "Are you gonna stare at the floor all night?"_

_For the first time today Ted looked me in the eye, and grinned. "I guess not," he said._

_"Good," I said. "Look Ted, I'm sorry. I was a total bitch earlier about the whole Maddy thing…"_

_"Don't even Rie," he said quickly. "I was being a jerk, and we both know it."_

_"That's true," I agreed, he laughed. It was nice to have Ted on my side again. All day had felt extremely weird; I was not used to fighting with him. "So we're good?"_

_"Hey, Victoire, I got your water," Andy interrupted, appearing next to me. Being boys, he and Teddy both looked each other up and down…sizing one another up. _

_"Thanks," I said, giving him a smile and taking the water. "Ted this is Andy, Andy this is my best friend Teddy." They nodded at each other, still sizing the other up. Boys. "We better get back to Kate and them, do you want to join us Ted?"_

_He shook his head. "No, thanks though Rie," he replied. "I think I'll just have a drink and find Tucker or something."_

_"Okay." I smiled again then hugged him. "I'm glad we're okay Ted," I whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek quickly. "See you!" _

_"Yeah, see you," he said softly. I glanced over my shoulder as Andy pulled me back into the crowd, only to see Teddy turn back to the bar to order a drink. Poor Ted, Teag and I really need to find him a worthwhile girlfriend instead of the tramps he usually dates. (While he is Remus' son, he seemed to inherit Sirius Black's dating style!)_

_[2 hours later]_

_"Where'd Teag go?" Layla shouted over the music. "She's been missing for like an hour!" I looked around the club that was currently packed with Hogwarts students._

_"She's probably puking already!" I yelled, turning back to face her. "Who's turn was it to watch her?!"_

_"Tucker's!" Katie replied before Layla could say anything. "But he's too busy dancing with some chick over there." Katie turned Layla and I around, pointing to where Tuck was…dancing with some skanky looking brunette. Damn it! He knows Teagan needs to be supervised at all times when we're here! Otherwise she gets all lonely and the bottle of liquor is her best friend._

_"Ugh!" I groaned, leaning against Kate. "Whatever, if she wants to puke, let her! I'm not the one that will have the massive hangover tomorrow." With that said, I twirled back around to face Andy, deciding to forget all about my friends' issues. It was kind of jerkwad-ish for me to just leave Teagan to puke without anyone to hold her hair, but hey, maybe she would finally learn her lesson. _

_"Are you sure that's what you want to do Rierie?" Layla asked, glancing around the room like my most likely wasted best friend would pop out of nowhere. "She might get herself into trouble." _

_"Her problem, not mine." I said, feeling extremely bitch-like. Apparently I wasn't the only one who knew this because Katie was shooting me a look that said: "You did NOT just say that." I sighed. Kate was right, as usual, even if she didn't even say anything. "All right, I'll go find Tuck and…"_

_"Victoire." What is with people appearing next to me all of a sudden today? Because it's starting to get really freaky. "We've got a situation," Tucker said, reaching for my hand. _

_"Teagan," I said knowingly._

_"Yeah," he nodded, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the bar. I looked past my friend's head to see our other two friends sitting on bar stools…and drunk. "And Teddy."_

_"Teddy's drunk?! Teddy never gets drunk!" _

_"Well something caused him to tonight because I think he might've had more to drink than Teagan, and no one drinks as much Teag!"_

_"You're exaggerating," I said, sure that he was. _

_"I wish I was," he sighed, grabbing my hand tightly. "Now c'mon, we gotta get them back to the dorm before the puking sets in."_

_"Right," I agreed immediately. I turned back to look at Andy who looked like he didn't know what he should be doing in this situation. "It was really cool meeting you, but my best friend kinda needs me right now. See you around? Bye!" He looked confused and surprised all in one as I kissed his cheek quickly and ran off with Tucker. _

_"I'll owl you!" Andy yelled. Normally, I would laugh at the feeling of butterflies from a statement like that from a guy like Andy, but Teagan and Teddy were drunk, so I pushed all thoughts of the cute guy I had just spent the last couple hours with out of my head and focused on the task of getting my best friends back up to the castle._

_"Victoire!" Teagan giggled. She jumped up and swung her arms out wildly, making an attempt to hug me. If she hadn't stumbled it might have worked, but instead I ended up with a nice red print on my cheek where her hand smacked the side of my face. "Oops!" Merlin she would have such a hangover tomorrow. _

_"Tuck you wanna get her?" I asked, looking at my friend hopefully. I'd gotten smacked too many times in the face over the past year by Teagan, most of them when she was drunk, and I really didn't feel like dealing with it again. "I'll grab Mr. Happy Pants over there."_

_"You sure?" Tucker said, glancing over at a very miserable-looking Teddy Lupin. _

_"Yupp, I got it."_

-

Super soakers were the weapon Tucker and I chose the next morning when waking up our very dear (and very hung over!) friends. That and The Complete Celestina Warbeck Collection! Currently, we had a whiny ballad by the name of: You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me, on high volume. Tuck and I are such lovely friends.

"Wake up DEARIES!" I shouted, jumping on Teddy's bed and aiming the water gun at his face. "UP! UP! UP! UP!" The beds began to rock as I pounced from Teddy's to Tucker's where Teagan was currently asleep. I got her on the side of her face, which I could tell she did not appreciate at all.

"OH, MY POOR HEART! WHERE HAS IT GONE?! IT'S LEFT ME FOR A SPELL!" Tucker yelled along with the song, very off key and perfect for waking the two stupid heads.

"Shut upppp!" Teagan whined, hiding under the covers before I could squirt her in the face again. She used to the methods I used to wake the drunk and hung over up. Teddy, on the other hand, was not.

"Tucker you better shut the hel-VICTOIRE!" He shouted, wincing as I sprayed him.

"Don't Victoire me," I said loudly. "It's your own bloody fault you got completely wasted when you know it's a shitty idea. So don't even try to yell at me because I will just yell back louder."

"Sorry," he said, pretty quietly to.

"Whatever, no big deal. We should've left you guys alone anyways," I replied. I moved past Tucker to get Teagan. "Teag, let's go. You can't stay in those clothes for the rest of the day and you need food."

She sighed and got out of bed. "How much did I drink last night Rie?"

"I have no idea," I said, shaking my head.

"Great," she groaned, moving over to where I stood. "Let's just go." Teagan looked miserable. Her hair reeked of smoke, and firewhiskey, and she seemed to have lost her shoes somehow. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, she is my best friend after all, and she looked like she'd had a really shitty night.

"Meet us down by the tree in an hour," I told the guys. I glanced over my shoulder to watch Teag make her way to the door. "Bring food…and chocolate. No sushi either guys, ok?" They nodded, Teddy once more avoiding my eyes…that's really starting to be annoying. "Come on dear," I said to Teagan, throwing an arm around her slumped shoulders.

"Hey Rie," she said once we were outside the dormitory. "Next time I drink this much, just go all Avada Kedavra on my ass, ok? 'Cause there's no way it could be worse than this."

I laughed. "Sure thing."

**A/N: And so I know you guys probably hate me for taking so long to update this for you guys, and I'm soooo so so sorry! I had a severe case of writer's block and I just broke it this week. Anyways, I know this is somewhat short and not too information-filled, but it's important! Anyways, you should review because happy Caiti means more chapters!!! **


	8. Just Like Tom and Huck?

**A/N: I am apologizing right now for taking over three months to update this! You are completly allowed to throw tomatoes at me through your computer screens because I totally deserve it. But I hope you like the chapter:) and read on!**

"What happened to the tree?" Teagan asked as we made our way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, or lunch I suppose since it was nearly eleven-thirty.

"Tuck said it's too cold, actually he whined that it was too cold," I replied. "So here we are."

I knew the howlers were coming as soon as the sound of a thousand different owls all flying at once hit my ears, and I knew they were coming for James and Freddie. In my five and a half years at Hogwarts, only 3 people had ever received howlers from home. The first was some idiot from Hufflepuff who got caught destroying all the Quidditch equipment and trying to turn the pitch into a stoner's heaven (Tucker nearly killed him, I'm dead serious). He found a red envelope on his plate the next morning, and was gone a week later. Teag heard that he got sent to Durmstrang where the professors were stricter. My cousins are the only other students if my generation to have the pleasure of opening the envelopes filled with their mum's voices screaming bloody murder. I do however recall hearing Uncle Harry's angry voice once back in their second year (something about James hanging chucking Mrs. Norris down a laundry shoot and then throwing Filch in after, followed by a few blast-ended skrewts) and you can always hear Granny Molly yelling in the background, nearly drowning out Aunt Gin and Aunt Alicia.

No one was surprised to see a blood red letter in front of James Potter and Freddie Weasley that morning at lunch (I guess my Aunt's decided it would be much more convenient to combine their yelling in one howler, eco-friendly howlers, go green!), they had tee-peed the castle after all.

"Just open it man," James whined at Freddie when Teagan and I joined the rest of my family and our friends at the Gryffindor table. "It'll be worse if we just let it sit there. Remember that time back in first? We didn't think it would be so bad to just leave it, we thought Uncle Ron was just being his usual over-dramatic self. And BAM! I swear the whole world could hear my mum screaming."

"Why don't you open it?" Freddie replied, sliding the letter across the table. "I always have to bloody open it, and I'm the one who always get's the worst of it. Besides, last time I opened the one from Aunt Gin and the one from my mum, you owe me…remember?"

"You're on drugs, I opened the last one. BOTH OF THEM!" James said, lying his ass off.

"No," Freddie argued, "I did cause you're such a chicken!"

"YOU'RE A LIAR FREDDIE WEASLEY!"

"AM NOT!"

"ONE OF YOU, OPEN THE DAMN HOWLER BEFORE IT BLOODY EXPLODES AND I STRANGLE BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING SO LOUD!" Teagan yelled her face red as she glared at my cousins.

"Ughhh," Teddy groaned. "Shuddup, all of you. So loud."

"Oh shut it Lupin," I snapped. This event caused everyone's jaws to drop. Had I really spoke that harshly to my best friend twice in one day? Due to this, I was the only one who seemed to notice that smoke was now seeping from the corners of the howler. "Oi! Op…"

"JAMES POTTER!" Aunt Ginny's voice echoed off the walls of the Great Hall. This was followed by Aunt Alicia yelling, "FREDDIE WEASLEY!" My younger cousins winced at the sound of their mum's voices and Teddy covered his ears.

"YOU ARE…ABSOLUTLY BRILLIANT!" Uncle George shouted. "NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I BEEN MORE PROUD OF YOU TWO BOYS! TOILET PAPERING THE CASTLE?! NOT EVEN YOUR UNCLE AND I COULD'VE COME UP WITH THAT! SO SIMPLE, YET SO GENIUS! I AM PROUD TO CALL YOU MY SON AND NEPHEW. SO PROUD."

"What the hec..?" James and Fred looked surprised.

"ANYWAYS HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW MERCHANDISE FOR THE SHOP? JUST CAME UP WITH THE IDEA THE OTHER DAY. JOKE-HOWLERS! AND THE BEST PART IS IT PRANKS NOT ONLY THE PERSON RECEIVING IT, BUT THE REST OF THE POPULATION AS WELL! YOU THINK YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET YELLED AT BY YOUR MUM, AND THEN YOU DON'T! YOUR MATE IS JUST PULLING YOUR LEG! OR, YOU THINK YOUR MATE IS PRANKING YOU, BUT ITS REALLY YOUR MUM SCREAMING AT YOU! BRILLIANT RIGHT? I'LL SEE YOU BOYS WHEN I COME UP TO THE SHOP IN HOGSMEADE IN A MONTH! SAY HELLO TO YOUR COUSINS AND KATE FOR ME!"

And just like that, the envelope burst into flames leaving a nice pile of ashes on James's plate.

"What the heck was that?" Katie finally said.

"Loud," Teddy whined.

"God, get over it Ted. Maybe if you hadn't poured all that firewhiskey down your throat last night your head wouldn't hurt so badly," I said.

"Shut up Victoire!" he replied angrily. "I'm so freaking sick of you yelling at me and acting like my mum."

"Well maybe if you would stop acting like such a baby and grow the hell up, I wouldn't bloody have to!"

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," he shot back.

"Excuse me?"

"All you do is whine and bitch and complain. Grow up Victoire, and stop acting like a freaking princess. Come on Tuck." Teddy got up and walked off towards the door. Tucker shot me an apologetic look before following his best friend down the aisle.

"What is that like twenty fights in the last twenty-four hours?" Teagan asked jokingly. I ignored her and got up from the table. "Victoire?"

"I gotta go," I replied.

"Oh, well hold up sweetie I'll come with."

"No, that's okay Teag," I said quickly. "You didn't finish eating and I need to just get out of here 'cause I feel really sick to be honest. So I'll see you later."

"Wait, Rie…" she started to say something else but I was out of the room before she could.

-

The cold November air hit my face the second I set foot outside the castle. My cheeks started to cool off and I assumed they were returning to their natural color of ice-white. But even the chilly winds couldn't ease the pain of what felt my heart ripping in two. Everything was supposed to be cool between Teddy and I now, wasn't it? We had agreed that we were putting the whole dumb fight behind us only last night. But now he was calling me a baby and informing me that I needed to grow up, when the hell did he decide that it was ok to tell me that? And look whose bloody talking! All he does is whine, and cry, and talk about his arrogant stuck-up dumby-head self!

"Stop it!" I snapped at the empty space in front of me, but the only response was the sound of the leaves being blown in the wind.

I was so ashamed of myself. When had a thought like that ever entered my mind? Especially about Teddy! Never in my life had I spoken a word against my best friend. Hell, I'd never even thought anything bad about him until now, and I didn't like it at all. Out of all the people in his life, I was the only one who knew what he went through every single day of his life. Sure, Uncle Harry and Andromeda understood it. After all, my uncle had lost his parents in a very similar way to the way my best friend had lost his. And Remus and Tonks had been Andromeda's son-in-law and only daughter. But I was the only one to sit by Ted day after day and really see how much his parent's death still ate him up on the inside. I was the only one he had ever broken down in front of, even his grandmother hadn't seen him cry, only me.

_"Shut up Victoire! I'm so freaking sick of you yelling at me and acting like my mum."_

_"Well maybe if you would stop acting like such a baby and grow the hell up, I wouldn't bloody have to!"_

God! I can't believe I would have the nerve to say something like that to him. After all those years of watching him cry on the anniversary of his mum's death, and I go ahead and say that like she's still around. I'm such a moron.

"Victoire!" Someone shouted in the distance, or did they? I shook my head thinking I had imagined the voice.

"Oi! Weasley!" I turned to see Teagan running across the grounds to catch up with me. "Wait up!"

I frowned. "Since when am I 'Weasley' to you?"

"Since you ran out of the Great Hall, and then the castle, without bothering to wait for me," Teagan replied before taking a deep breath. She linked her arm through mine. "What's going on with you Rie?"

"What? Nothing!" I said quickly, pulling my arm away from hers. "I just have to talk to Neville about the paper he assigned last week."

"Victoire," Teagan sighed. She grabbed my arm and whirled me back around to face her. "I've known you for five and a half years now, and we've been best friends that entire time. I think I can tell when something is wrong."

"Teagan," I said seriously. "Nothing is wrong."

"You're lying through your teeth."

"Am not," I insisted, shaking my arm to loosen her grip. "Now will you please let g-"

"Then why are you running out of breakfast looking like you're about to burst into to tears? Then making up some lame excuse when I chase you down?"

"Talking to a teacher about homework is a lame excuse now?"

"Victoire, its Sunday. Neville isn't even in the greenhouses today!" she said.

Damn. Why did I not think of that?

"So are you going to tell me what is bothering you or am I going to push you in the lake, which, I might add, is freezing. And as we all know, the giant squid is rather grumpy when the lake temperature drops."

"I don't know Teag," I said slowly, keeping my gaze focused on the Whomping Willow. "I don't know why Teddy and I keep ending up in fights, I don't know why I said those stupid things to him, and I really don't know why I'm so angry with him lately."

"I don't know why all this is happening either Rie," Teagan sighed. "But growing up surrounded by professional Quidditch players I've learned something I think might help you."

I looked over at my friend. "What's that?"

"The stronger the bone is, the less likely it will break when a bludger comes in contact with your arm. But sometimes the bone cracks. And if you don't heal the little cracks, then your arm'll break eventually."

I burst out laughing and Teagan joined in, knowing that she sounded absolutely ridiculous. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Teagan giggled. She took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you and Teddy have the strongest friendship I have ever known. Nothing has ever been able to split you two up. But you can't keep shoving everything behind you without talking about it, because it's just making things worse."

"Have you been stealing drugs from your mum's model friends again?" I asked. She laughed again.

"C'mon, let's go find Tuck."

"But seriously," I said, linking my arm through hers as we made our way back up to the castle. "The stronger the bone, the less likely your arm will break after a collision with a bludger? What the hell was that?!"

"That," Teagan said. "Was my attempt at finding some deep meaning from my childhood on the road, combined with the fact that I was out all last night partying."

"Yeah, never again."

She rolled her eyes and held back a laugh. "Let's just go."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Balcony," was the first thing Tucker said when he opened the door to the seventh year boy's dormitory. He stepped aside to let Teagan and me into the room, closing the door behind us. "He doesn't look to good either Rie."

"Hey Weasley!" One of the boys called out. "Heard you and Marks broke it off."

"That happened over the summer McLaggen," Teagan rolled her eyes. "And she's no longer interested in morons so it looks like you're out of luck."

McLaggen shot my friend a dirty look and exited the dorm into the bathroom.

"Tuck and I will meet you in the common room Rie, okay?" Teagan said quickly, pulling at Tucker's arm.

"Can't you just wait up here?" I asked, a hint of nervousness in my voice.

"Nah, these guys are wierdos," she replied, ignoring the glares she had just earned from Liam Sanders, Derrick Malere, and McLaggen's right-hand man Jaden Loren. "You know I'm kidding Sanders, you too Malere. Anyways, we'll see you in a bit alright? Then all four of us can go down to dinner together in a bit considering we didn't eat breakfast until it was lunchtime. Mmk? See you Sweetie!" With that said, she grabbed Tucker's arm and yanked him from the room before I had a chance to say anything.

Not wanting to stand in the doorway of the dorm the rest of the night while Liam, Derrick, and Jaden stared me down, I quickly made my way over to the balcony door.

Teddy sat on the mattress, which had seen better days, on the far side of the space. The second he looked up I could immediately see the reason why Tucker had told us he looked like shit (okay he didn't say it exactly like that, but that's what Ted looked like). His hair was an ugly mousy-brown color that only ever appeared when he was upset about something. And his eyes were a similar shade, but more gray, instead of the usual navy. Even his skin looked a tad off-color, almost like he was sick.

"Hey," he said, looking back toward the Quidditch pitch.

"Hey," I said softly. He kept his eyes trained on the goalposts in the distance, refusing to say or even look at me. I sighed and sat down next to him, how was I supposed to get this boy to talk to me? I knocked my knee gently against his. "So the first years want their mattress back."

"What?" Teddy said, turning to face me.

"Nothing, I was just trying to see if you were going to look at me or continue to avoid my eyes." He shot me a glare out of the corner of his eyes.

"God Victoire, are you ser.."

"Serious?" I snapped, cutting him off. "Yeah I am, because I'm bloody sick of this!"

He shook his head and turned back away. "Yeah? Well I'm sick of you yelling at me all the freaking time."

"Why are we fighting so much Ted?" I whispered after about five minutes of silence. "God! Enough staring at the pitch, alright?!" I grabbed his arm and spun him back around to face me.

"Fine," he said. "I'm listening."

"Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you Ted. So I'm sorry," I said, looking my best friend in the eye so he knew I was being serious. It obviously worked because his features softened instantly. "I just never thought you would be the one I had to drag up to the castle drunk, you know? That was always Teag and, occasionally, our dear friend Tuck. It just, it scared me. Why is this all happening? Why are we fighting? Why are you getting drunk? Why are we calling each other whiny little bitches? We have been friends my entire life Teddy and we have never fought until now. Why?" I blinked, trying to keep a couple of tears from rolling down my cheeks.

"I don't know Rie," he said.

"Well I hate it! I hate fighting with you all the time, and feeling weird about coming up here to talk to you about it. I hate looking over at Lawden and watching him smirk because it looks like you're ditching me just because a girl likes you and you might like her back. I hate wondering if maybe he was right, and that maybe you'll abandon me as soon as you get a serious girlfriend. Even though I kicked him to the curb the very second he told me to choose between the two of you. I hate feeling like we're drifting apart. And hell, sometimes I even start to hate you because it feels like I'm losing you as a best friend.

"Rie…" Ted started to say but I continued before he could even finish thinking what to say.

"I want things to go back to normal," I said. "No more of this water-under-the-bridge we're-cool-so-don't-worry shit. Because every time we say that things just get worse. And I don't like it." I paused for a breath. "Now you can talk."

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I'm really sorry Victoire. I have been a complete and total ass to you lately, and honestly, I deserved to be yelled at earlier. I just, I wasn't thinking. You are my best friend and I think I've forgotten that recently. Things have just been bad lately, some idiot fifth years have been sneaking pictures of full moons into my books and I can hear kids whispering about my dad a lot. They call him a monster and the seventh year Slytherins keep reminding the first years of what I am. I just took it out on you the other day and that was wrong of me. So I'm sorry that I've been a jerkwad."

"Okay," I smiled. "So let's promise right now that we are forgiving one another and that things will go back to how they were before you let your undying love for me, which you confessed last night before passing out, got in the way of our friendship."

"Shut it Victoire," he laughed, shoving me in the arm before standing up and offering me his hand. "Let's go find the other two and get to dinner early, I didn't get breakfast this morning and I barely ate lunch."

"Well," I said grabbing his wrist and lifting myself off the dirty mattress. "If you hadn't been hung over…"

"Hey!" Teddy protested. "What about that promise?"

"You never promised!"

"Fine, I promise that I will go along with whatever you just said. Now can we go?" he whined.

I spit on my palm and held it out to him. "Swear-handshake."

He winced. "Gross Victoire, we stopped doing that like five years ago."

This was true. When we were kids, Grandpa Arthur installed a TV at the Burrow. Aunt Hermione, being the education-supporting woman that she is, brought us a movie that was about these two friends Tom and Huck (she said it was based off some book they force muggle kids to read at school). Whenever they swore on something, or made a promise to each other, they would spit on the palm of their hand and shake on it (except the one time they did some weird blood oath, but that's another story). The last time we had done the shake was the last three minutes of my first ride on the Hogwarts Express when we swore that we would always be best friends.

"That's because we haven't sworn on anything since then," I said impatiently. "Just do it or I'll tell Andromeda you pushed me in the lake."

"Whatever," Teddy said, rolling his eyes. But sure enough, he spit on his hand and shook mine. "There, now can we go?"

"Sure thing pal," I said happily before wiping my palm on the front of his shirt. He punched me in the arm lightly when he realized what I was doing.

"Cut it out," he said, but I could tell he was holding back a laugh.

"Hey," I looked up at his head. "Your hair is yellow."

He smiled and laid his arm over my shoulders. "Dinner?"

I nodded and we ditched out of the dormitory to meet Teagan and Tucker in the Common Room. "Did you guys kiss and make up?" Teag joked when she saw us. Teddy chuckled and told her we did and then begged to go down to dinner, saying that he was "absolutely starving".

My three friends talked the entire way down to the Great Hall, I caught the words "quaffle" and "candy canes" so I assumed they were talking about Quidditch and Christmas. But other than that I didn't pay much attention. Because for some reason a stupid girl-with-her-first-boyfriend grin was plastered across my face, and I couldn't help but notice that Teddy's hair was still yellow. Yellow was my favorite color.

**A/N: That's the chapter! It's not as long as I wanted it to be but once I typed the last paragraph I felt like that was the end of the chapter. I promise that I will try to be better about upating :/ :) If you review it will make me happy:)**

**xoxo!**


	9. Mates and Dates in Hogsmeade

**A/N: Next chapter! Yay! Haha, so there's many different things happening and I wanted to continue into the beginning of their Christmas holiday in this chapter but last night I thought of a different ending again so that's what's on this page :) Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: The book mentioned in the last part belongs to the complete genius Sarah Dessen.**

"Okay, so that's twenty-four on the Weasley list, six on the Delacour list, and then you, Tucker, and Layla," I said writing down the name of my new baby cousin, Angelique, beneath her brother Marcus. Teagan and I were making our Christmas lists, just like we did every year. It was part of our holiday traditions. We always waited until the last week of school before Christmas break and then skipped breakfast to work on the lists all morning in preparation of our trip to Hogsmeade.

"Teddy and Andromeda," Teagan replied distractedly, tracing her quill down the parchment on the floor in front of her. Poor Teag, Christmas was always beyond stressful for her. All she wanted to do was spend some time with her dad, drink some butterbeer, and go to my Aunt and Uncle's New Year's party. Instead she had about a week and a half with her dad before being shipped off to her mum's side of the family down in Italy for the remainder of her break. Not to mention she spends weeks in advance trying to figure out acceptable gifts for the Menta's.

"Are on the Weasley list as always," I reminded my friend. "Thought of anything for Marianna yet?"

She shook her head. "What am I supposed to get the woman that she hasn't already bought for herself? You know my mum Rie, she wants something, and she buys it. It's the story of her bloody life."

"I could owl Grandmère Apolline; I bet she knows of something your mum might like. Aunt Gabrielle would know of something for sure. They could send it back here and you could take it with you to Italy," I offered.

"Nah," Teagan said. "She went shopping in Paris last week for the holidays, which means she brought back twice as many gifts for herself. I'll just have to figure something out. But thanks anyways."

" 'Course," I said. "Oh and I got an owl back from that artist I found three weeks ago so check your Dad's mum off the list."

"What?"

"I already ordered something for your Grandma Mary," I answered. "And before you say what I know you're about to say, it's perfect. I did the same thing for my grandmas and Andromeda. So check her name off, and when we get to Hogsmeade you are totally going to love me for going behind your back and ordering it."

"Fine," she said, marking something on the paper. "Is it almost time to leave yet? I think my brain might have PMS 'cause it kills like cramps."

"Teagan!" I pretended to scold my friend but the act was ruined when I cracked up. "Your mother would have a heart attack if she ever heard you say such a thing."

"It's true though," she whined, loosening her ponytail. "How you manage to avoid migraines at this time of year is completely beyond me Victoire, and your family is, like, three times the size of mine! Not to mention that you're all jam-packed into the Burrow with all of the Weasley's for at least a week! How do you do it? Excess drinking? Silencing spells? That muggle medicine?"

"I get along with them," I said.

"I suppose that does work for some people," Teagan sighed. She glanced down at her list and then looked back up at me. "Maybe I should give them all fudge from Honeydukes!"

"You really think that's going to be ok with your mum?"

"No," she said with a mischievous smile plastered on her face. "But hey, it's the thought that counts! So let's get outta here! To the Great Hall!"

"Um, Teag," I said, watching my friend race across the room. "You might want to change out of your pajamas and into some clothes before opening that door. I mean, I'm all for lounging about in what we sleep in. But considering the fact that its winter and you're in shorts and a t-shirt…"

"Right," she said, looking down at her purple t-shirt. "To the bathroom, and then to the Great Hall!"

With that said she grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater out of her dresser and danced into the bathroom.

"Hurry up and get ready! Maybe we'll catch the end of breakfast!"

---

"Morning pals!" I said happily, linking my arm through Teddy's when Teag and I caught up to the boys as they left breakfast.

"Hey," Teddy grinned. "Where were you guys? Tuck and I saved seats at the table but you two never showed."

"It's that time of year again!" I sang.

"We were list making," Teagan informed them, retrieving several pieces of folded up parchment from her bag. "We have major holiday shopping to do today."

"Are you two in?" I asked, looking back and forth between my guy friends. "You know you'd never find anything good for Andromeda and Allison without our help." That was true. Teagan and I always, always, always helped Tuck pick something out for his mum and Ted find something for his grandma. They were sorta helpless without us, but it was kinda cute.

"I'm in," Teddy agreed. "But only if you don't make us carry your bags again."

"What's the point of you tagging along then?" Teagan teased, poking him in the stomach.

"What about you?" I nudged Tucker, who was being very quiet for some reason.

"I can't," he said. I frowned, this was not what I had expected when I asked the guys to join in on our holiday shopping. Teddy and Tucker always agreed immediately when asked this question, the only reason I even asked anymore was to confirm what I already knew. The four of us always spent the entire day down in the village, searching every store for possible Christmas gifts for our families. Once we were finished, we took a seat at the bar of the Three Broomsticks and chugged glasses of butterbeer with the occasional mug of hot chocolate. It was our tradition, one that we started back in my second year when Teagan and I snuck out of the castle.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I, I um, kinda have a…a date," Tuck said lamely, glancing at Teagan out of the corner of his eye.

"With who?" Teddy said, looking surprised. I guess this must be the first he's hearing of this.

"Jenny Malloway."

"The seventh-year Hufflepuff?" Teagan snapped. "Are you serious?"

"What's wrong with Jenny?" Tucker replied angrily.

"Nothing," I said quickly, jabbing Teag in the stomach. Ted and I just stopped fighting a few weeks ago; there was no reason these two had to start. "Jenny's nice, right Teag?" I went to poke my friend again, but she had stalked off to talk to Liam and Derrick by the front doors.

"What's with her?" Tucker asked, his face returning to normal color.

"Nothing," I assured him. "Teag's just stressed about the holidays. You know how it is with her family during Christmas Tuck."

"Oh."

"And she's probably a little upset that you aren't going with us to Hogsmeade, it's tradition after all," I added.

"I know, and I'm really sor-"

"Save it Tuck," I cut him off. "It's not a major deal, k? I'll talk to her and she'll chill out once we get a couple chocolate frogs in her. Just, just try and meet up with us later if you can Tucker. This is our last year with you two here. Have fun on your date mmk?"

"Yeah, thanks Victoire," he grinned, pulling me into a hug.

"Sure thing!" With that half of the issue settled, I walked off to talk to Teagan and try to calm her down. "Hey Liam, Derrick."

"Hey Victoire," Liam said, still listening to one of Teag's Puddlemere United stories.

"Got a date for Hogsmeade?" Derrick asked with a grin on his face.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I smirked. "Besides, McLaggen would murder you in your sleep if you went out with me."

"Yeah, but it might be worth it," he replied, raising his eyebrows and I laughed. Derrick was a pretty cool guy and I generally liked him, but I'd never take his offer on a date…again.

"Besides, she's going with me." Ugh speak of the devil.

"I'm not going anywhere with you McLaggen," I snapped, shrugging his arm off my shoulders. "You're just as bad as Lawd. So beat it before Ted comes over hear and hexes your balls off."

He rolled his eyes as if I were joking, but looked over his shoulder to see if Teddy was paying attention. He was, of course. I swear, somehow he always seemed to know whenever guys he disliked were near me. Beyond weird.

"I wouldn't chance it if I were you," I said as Teddy waved a goodbye to Tucker and began to make his way over to the group I was with.

"Are you guys ready to go?" he asked, sliding an arm over each of our shoulders. "See you Malere, Sanders." Liam and Derrick nodded a goodbye as Teddy steered Teagan and I towards the doors.

"Knight in shining armor," I muttered.

Teddy laughed. "You had that look on your face Rie."

"Oi," I leaned forward to look at Teag. "Cheer up Buttercup! Or we'll tie you to a chair in Madame Puddifut's to suffer the sight of all the mushy-gushy couples." Teagan offered a weak smile and then sped up to walk ahead of us.

"She okay?" Ted asked.

"She needs chocolate, ASAP."

---

Our walk down to Hogsmeade was completely silent. While the rest of the thirteen year olds and up raced past us into the village shouting and laughing at one another, kinda like my three friends and I were last year. Teddy and I couldn't help glancing at our friend every other minute, hoping that she would cheer up a bit before we entered Hogsmeade, but there was no change in her expression. As soon as we were passing the shops I sent Teddy to Honeydukes to pick up some chocolate frogs and then dragged Teagan off to a boutique where our aunt's gifts often came from.

"You know, you could've been a little nicer to Tucker about his date Teag," I said, examining a table of sweaters. I held up one of the tops in purple, a shade that Aunt 'Mione absolutely adored. "Ugh, itch-fest for sure. Jenny's nice." I dropped the top back on the pile, not caring about the display at all.

"I know she's nice," Teagan said a bit harshly, grabbing the sweater I had just looked at. "Hell-o Aunt Celia's present! The fact that's she's nice is the bloody problem."

"You can't give that to your aunt," I replied. "Your cousin Donatella might like it though."

Teagan laughed. "Donatella would die before wearing that sweater."

"Why is it such a bad thing that Tuck is on a date with a sweet girl hun? He needs that, especially after Ashley."

Ashley Taylor was Tucker's ex-girlfriend. She was two years above Teag and I, and a complete bitch to us. Ashley was an absolutely horrible person, but we ignored that fact because she made our friend beyond happy. Like I-drink-a-lucky-potion-every-morning-with-breakfast happy. But about a week before she graduated Hogwarts, Ashley ran off with Professor Zoran, the twenty-one year old Quidditch teacher in training. We later found out that they'd been sneaking around for the previous four months. Tucker was crushed.

"I know," Teagan sighed. "But there are other girls who are nice at school."

"Like who?"

"Like," she paused. "Like me Rie."

"What are you talk…OH MY GOD!" I screeched, "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

"What are you two talking about?" Teddy asked coming up behind us, looking very confused as to why I was bouncing up and down.

"Um, nothing," I said quickly, yanking the sweater out of Teagan's hands. "Just how perfect this sweater could be for Aunt Hermione, don't you agree Ted?" He made a face as I thrust the top at him.

"It feels like sandpaper," he frowned.

"Huh, I suppose it does. So that's a no, what would I do without you Teddy?"

"What's going o…"

"Hey Ted," Teagan cut him off. "Why don't you check out those sweaters over there. I'm positive I saw one that your Aunt Ginny would like."

"Because I know so much about this kind of thing," Teddy said, rolling his eyes. "Isn't that why I always go gift shopping with you two? So you can help me pick out presents?"

"We'll be over in a second Ted," I assured him. "Just go okay?" He turned on his heel and walked off, muttering something about how he didn't know what the hell he was looking for. I decided to ignore him.

"You like Tucker!" I squealed once my friend was out of hearing range. "I so so so so called it! Ooooo wait until we tell Ted! I'm going to rub it in his face forever and ever. See, I always knew you liked him, but he was all: 'What-ever Rie, all they ever do is fight. Don't be a blonde!' The only words he will hear me say will be I, told, you, and s…"

"Rie!" Teagan said, cutting me off. "We can't tell Teddy about this, he'll tell Tucker."

"Well how else is Tuck supposed to find out? And how am I supposed to get the two of you together if he doesn't know that you like him?"

"What? You're not!" She sighed. "Look, Tucker obviously has a thing for Jenny considering that he's currently on a date with her. If he finds out that I like him things are gonna be horrible between us. It'll never be the same."

"But…" I started.

"But nothing."

"He likes you!" I blurted before Teagan could say anything else.

"He told you that?"

"Well, no. But I can just tell Teag, and I'll get proof."

"Right," she said, shaking her head at me. "You do that Rie, but I think I'll go help Ted over there. He looks hopeless and I want a chocolate frog."

I'd almost forgotten that Teddy had returned from Honeydukes. Teagan was right; he did look absolutely pathetic, sorting through sweaters and jackets in an attempt to find something for his godmother. It wouldn't be long before the sales girl behind the counter to help him. But it would just be her excuse to go hit on my best friend; she'd been staring at him since he entered the shop.

"Alrighty," I agreed as another girl popped out of nowhere to "assist" Teddy, twirling a strand of stick straight hair around her finger. "But I will get the two of you together before the end of the year. Mark my words Teagan Oliver. You and Tucker will be a couple if Victoire Marie Weasley has anything to say about it!"

"Whatever you say hun," Teagan laughed. "But let's go save Teddy okay? I swear if that girl tries twirling her hair any faster it'll rip right out of her head."

"My turn to be a knight in shining armor," I nodded, pulling her after me as we made our way over to our friend.

"Hey hot stuff!" I stood on my tiptoes to kiss Teddy's cheek. As expected the salesgirl frowned and went to join her coworker behind the counter. Teagan and I were amazing at getting unknown girls away from the guys. They just seemed to disappear the second one of us hugged one of the boys. I suppose it's kinda intimidating. If I were hitting on a guy and a part-veela came up and kissed his cheek then I would get lost too.

"Thanks," Teddy muttered.

"Anytime pal," I whispered back before noticing the dark green sweater in his hands. "Ooo what's that?"

"Gift for Aunt Gin," he replied uncertainly, holding it out for me to take a look.

"Cute!" Teagan gift inspection!"

Teagan grabbed the top from Teddy and brought it very close to her face to examine. I could tell she was impressed. It was something Aunt Ginny would like, maybe even love. It's color wouldn't clash with her bright hair and the material was super-soft.

"Nicely done Teddy," she finally said handing the shirt back.

"Thanks," Ted said with a small smile on his face. "I think I'll go ahead and get this then. Are you two buying anything here?"

We told him that we weren't and that he should go pay so we could move on to the next shop. Teagan stole us each a chocolate frog before he walked off. I glanced around the store again, munching on the candy and listening to Teagan whine about how she already had about twenty of the Harry Potter chocolate frog cards.

"They really need more variety in these," she complained, chucking the card behind a rack of jeans and that's when I saw the bag.

It was yellow, which made me automatically like it, and big enough to carry a small dog in. The leather looked soft and smooth, not wrinkly like many handbags that I'd seen. Best of all it was really simple. No buckles, or writing, or designs. Just a plain yellow bag.

"What are you staring at?" Teagan asked. "Hell-o? Victo-oh."

"Yeah."

"That may just be the most fantastic bag I have ever seen," she said. "And it's yellow, your favorite color!"

"I know," I said.

"Get it!" she insisted. "C'mon Victoire, you know you want to! It's splendido! Gorgeous!"

"I can't," I replied. "It's against the Hogsmeade-Gift spree rules. Nothing we buy on this trip is for us, remember?"

"I remember," she said sadly.

"It's not like it'll just disappear Teag," I said. "It'll be here when we get back from break. I can get it then if I want. Teddy's done paying anyways, let's get out of here."

"Okay, are you sure you don't want the bag?"

"What bag?" We looked up to see Ted standing there, shopping bag in his hand, looking back and forth between the two of us. He glanced past our heads for a second, and I could almost swear that he was staring at the bag. But the next second he was looking at Teag and me again expectantly.

"Do you guys want to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" I asked, leading my friends out of the shop. "I think Uncle George might be there today and he might have something for James and Freddie that's not out yet."

"That'd be nice. I don't have any ideas for them," Teddy admitted.

"And you know I'm always in the mood for a trip to WWW," Teagan chimed in, linking her arm through Teddy's.

"It's a plan then," I grinned.

---

"Hurry up then Ted," Teagan called over her shoulder. I turned to see how far Teddy had fallen behind us and laughed. You couldn't even see the poor boy's face as piles of bags were in his arms with a few swinging from each wrist, although I was absolutely positive that he was scowling at the two of us.

"Never again am I going Christmas shopping with the two of you," he yelled from behind our purchases. "Never, never, never!"

"You say that every year," I replied, still giggling.

"Fine, never again am I going Christmas shopping with the two of you by myself. If Tucker isn't joining us next year, then I'm ditching too!" Teddy snapped.

"Oh you know you wouldn't dear," Teagan said. "Victoire and I are going to go ahead and get a spot at the bar okay? We'll see you in a minute!" This earned a major rant from my dear Mr. Lupin, but Teag yanked me in the direction of the Three Broomsticks before I could hear any of the good threats. Teddy comes up with the best threats ever, but he rarely says them out loud.

"Mmmm, that smells amazing," I sighed as we walked through the door. The heat of the room felt nice against my frozen cheeks, and the scent of butterbeer was enough to put a big grin on my face.

"Incredible," my friend agreed. "There are a couple seats up at the bar Rie, we better grab them before this place gets anymore packed."

I nodded and let her pull me through the crowded room. Katie was waving from her table in the corner with Layla, Brendan, and a couple other fifth year boys. Freddie and James had set up court in the center of the pub, holding a chugging contest with the majority of the of the third and fourth year boys. There were a couple girls too, giggling and blushing whenever my cousins glanced in their direction. Maddy Richards was at another table near the two of them, multi-tasking by glaring at me and keeping up a conversation with McLaggen who was shooting a smug look in my direction.

"What'll it be?" Katherine Rosemerta asked, appearing behind the bar.

"Uh, two peppermint hot chocolates, one regular hot chocolate, and three butterbeers," Teagan answered.

"You'd better add another hot chocolate and butterbeer," I said before the barmaid could disappear. "It looks like Tucker will be joining us." Teagan turned on her stool to see Tuck giving Jenny Malloway a quick kiss on the cheek. The short brunette waved goodbye and exited to join her friends outside.

"Hey guys." Tucker slid onto the seat next to me a minute later. "Where's Ted?"

The door creaked open again, revealing a pair of legs with shopping bags on top.

"Right there," I said as Teddy stumbled into the room. Tucker laughed and shook his head at Teagan and I muttering something about how much he was going to owe Ted for this one before going to help my poor, completely exhausted, friend.

"I hate you two," Teddy mumbled as he joined us. He picked up a neon green bag. "Whatever dumb gift is in this one was digging into my stomach the entire time."

"It just so happens that that bag contains your gift for Andromeda," I informed him. "But if you think it's so stupid then you don't have to give it to her. But it's the best gift in the history of gifts." I paused. "That's your cue to look at it and tell me what a wonderful friend I am."

Teddy rolled his eyes but peeked into the bag anyways. When he looked back up he had a grin on his face. "Thanks Rie, she'll love it."

"Duh," Teagan said.

"There you go." A tray of drinks were set down on the bar in front of me. We looked up, expecting to see Katherine walking off to take someone else's order, only to find Madame Rosemerta herself with a wide smile across her face. "Drink up then."

"I thought Katherine did all the work now," Tucker said, taking a drink of hot chocolate.

"She does, I'm getting to old for this business," she chuckled. "But I wanted to say a quick hello and say hello to your aunts and uncles for me Victoire, would you?"

"Of course I will."

"Well I better go see what kind of trouble that niece of mine is getting herself into, temper like no other on that girl."

"Grandmum told me you were the same way when you were her age," Teddy said.

"Yes well, it doesn't help business much if she goes about punching young men in the face, now does it?" Rosemerta retorted.

I glanced over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of Katherine talking angrily to none other than that loser ex of mine.

"I say let her hit him," I told Madame Rosemerta. "He deserves it."

She laughed again and said her goodbyes. "You lot make sure you have a happy Christmastime, alright?"

"You too!" Teagan called sweetly as the woman walked off. "Hey Rie, lover boy at six o' clock."

"Shut it," I said, kicking her in the shin.

"Hey Victoire." That wasn't Lawden's voice, it was…

"Andy!" I cried happily, whirling around in my seat to hug the blonde surfer-boy in front of me. "How are you? How was…Where were you again? Oh! How was Australia?"

"Very warm," he laughed. "Awesome weather, clear skies every day, it was great."

"Sounds great," I said. "So are you staying here for the holidays or going somewhere else?"

"I'm heading home to California," Andy said. "I'm not cut out for cold climates. And you're going to your grandparent's house, correct?"

"As always," I nodded and Teagan cleared her throat. "Oh duh, let me introduce you to my friends. You remember Teddy Lupin, right? Then this is Tucker Conaway, you two met briefly on Halloween. And of course this is Teagan Oliver."

"Nice to meet you," Andy said politely. Tucker and Teag offered up small smiles but Teddy just rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Ted!" I exclaimed, reaching past Teagan to smack his head. "Ignore him Andy; he's in a right foul mood. Tucker had a date so he was stuck carrying Teag and mine's shopping bags all by himself."

"I feel for you man," Andy said sympathetically. "My sisters do the same thing to me every year. I'd introduce you, but they left a few weeks ago for the states."

"Always the gentlemen, Andy. Maybe another time?"

"Of course," he said quickly. "But I'll let you four get back to your drinks. I hope you all have a good holiday break." Andy leaned over and hugged me and I kissed his cheek quickly.

"You too," I said. "Owl me when you get back ok?"

He nodded. "Will do. See you."

"Bye!" Teagan yelled after him as I waved.

"He seemed cool," Tucker said.

"He is," I replied.

"Whatever happened between the two of you Rie?" Teagan butted in. "You guys went out a couple times, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I said simply. "We owled a bit too, but he's always traveling for surfing so it kind of just evolved into a friendship. I mean, we talk when we see one another and still send owls back in forth. But it's less complicated this way, you know?"

"That's too bad," Teag sighed. "Your kids would've been gorgeous."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Tucker. "Speaking of people dating how was your date with Jenny?"

"It was okay," he said with a slight frown. "I think it might go the same way Andy's relationship with you went Rie."

"Aw," I pouted. Teagan and Teddy continued to drink the butterbeer in front of them.

"It's cool though, I think it'll be better that way."

"That's good, besides I know a girl who has a crush on you," I sang, earning myself a kick in the calf from Teag.

"Who?"

"Er, that's for me to know and for you to find out!"

"It's not you, is it Rie?" Tucker asked warily.

"Ew," I grimaced. "That'd be like dating my brother."

"Oi, are you two done?" Teagan said, poking me in the ribs. "I'm exhausted and Teddy looks like he's about to pass out. Maybe making him carry all of our stuff today wasn't the best idea Rie."

"Your idea, not mine," I retorted, getting to my feet. "Why don't the two of you get a head start on the walk back up to school? Tuck and I will pay and catch up with you in a second."

"Okay," she agreed, shooting me a look that said 'if you even hint that I like him I won't speak to you for a month!' She really is dramatic, that friend of mine. "C'mon then Ted." Teddy got to his feet and followed Teagan out of the pub. He's quiet today.

"I got it," Tucker offered, handing over several coins to Katherine. "I ditched you guys today so that means I pay for the drinks."

"Mmk," I yawned. "With a reason like that I suppose I can't protest."

"True," he said, sliding an arm around my shoulders. "Or as Teagan might say: point, point, double point!"

I laughed and snuggled up closer to my friend's side as the wind hit my face. It was absolutely freezing outside, and the fact that the sky was starting to get a bit darker wasn't helping….bloody Britain winters. The temperature must have dropped while we were in the Three Broomsticks because it wasn't this cold an hour ago. There wasn't even any snow to make up for it yet.

"Hey!" I shouted, cupping my hands over my mouth, as Teagan came into view.

"Hey back!" she yelled, even though we were only a few feet from her now. "Teddy forgot about something so he ran back to get it. He said not to wait up."

Tucker and I nodded, and the three of us continued our slow journey back up to the castle. Teagan and I remained under our friend's arms the entire time, grateful for the extra warmth his body supplied.

We were about three quarters of the way up the path when Tucker looked down at me and asked, "What's that girl like Rie, the one you were saying had a crush on me? Do you think I'll like her?"

I glanced quickly over at Teagan before smiling at Tucker and saying, 'Let's just say she'll knock your socks off Tuck."

---

"Hey." I turned to see Teddy coming down the stairs leading to the boy's dormitory in his pajamas. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep," I responded, scooting over to make room on the couch so my friend could sit. He plopped down on the seat next to me and reached down to grab part of the blanket that had fallen to the floor. "Don't know why though, I feel like I'm about to drop dead out to exhaustion. So I came down here to read since my roommates would kill me if I turned a light on."

He gestured to the book in my hands and asked, "What book are you reading?"

I held it up so he could see the bright pink flower that was having a petal being plucked on the cover. It was liked that old game Katie and I played when we were little…he loves me…he loves me not…he loves me…

"Again? You've read that one so many times the cover's starting to fall off," he paused. "What's it even about?"

"A boy, and a girl," I said simply. "And forever."

"It's a book about a boy, a girl, and forever?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is. And it's my favorite."

"I can tell," he chuckled softly. "What happens though, in the book?"

"Well, the girl's boyfriend dumps her because she tells him that she loves him," I started. "And she meets these people through a last minute job that her mother finds absolutely insane but she loves. They become her friends, especially one of the boys. They play an ongoing game of, of….well I suppose it's kind of like truth or dare, only it's just the truth part and they become best friends, then, eventually, they fall for each other. It's kind of a chick book," I added.

"Sounds okay."

I glanced out the window for about the twentieth time that night. "Teddy? Do you think it'll snow soon?"

He laughed again, standing up and offering me his hand, which I took. "Of course. In fact," he hoisted me up off the couch, "I bet it will snow sometime this week. Which is good, because how else would we be able to have our annual extreme snowball fight at the Burrow?"

"That's true."

"Of course it's true," he said. "Now go to bed so you don't fall asleep during classes tomorrow."

"Yes mom," I giggled, giving my friend a quick kiss on the cheek and running off towards the girl's dorms.

"Hey Rie," Teddy called quietly once I was up half the stairs. "In that book, do they get together? The guy and the girl you told me about, do they end up together in the end?"

"Yeah," I said. "They do."

He nodded. "That's good. I think they belong together."

"Me too, Ted, me too."

**A/N: It makes me smile when people leave reviews :D (hint hint!) xoxo.**


	10. Aunthor's Note

Hey dears, I am sorry to say that Two Halves is going to officially be on pause right now. I hate not having updates for you guys as you are awesome, but school is eating me for breakfast at the moment. :( I'm really really really sorry guys. Hopefully new chapters will be on the way soon, I will try my best.

Thanks for understanding, and if you don't I really don't blame you.


	11. The Holidays: They Think We're Together?

**A/N: Admit it, you lovvvvvve me! :D Because I'm back! (Temporarily!) Read and enjoy, I'll blabber on at the end!**

Platform 9¾ was packed as school administrators tried to move small groups of people through the barrier and girls sobbed their goodbyes, clinging onto their friends. It was insane; we were only going to be on holiday for a few weeks, not like summer break which lasted about three months. Those girls really needed to get a grip, bloody pathetic. You didn't see Teag and me crying hysterically about being split up for the next two to three weeks.

"James Sirius, I swear on mine and Teddy's hidden collection of Chocolate Frog cards if you let go of my hand and I get stuck going through the barrier with Lawden, I will kill you before we get back to Nana and Granddad's!" I hissed at my cousin, tightening my grip on his hand. Teagan stood beside me, her arm linked through mine, holding tight to Freddie's hand.

"Ow Rie," he whined, trying to stretch out his fingers. "Why do we always have to go with the two of you? Why can't Fred and I ever go with Teddy and Tucker?"

"Because Rie has eyes like a hawk," Teddy said. He stood behind me in a line with Tucker, Katie, and Layla. "You always try to escape to prank the Slytherins when it's up to me and Tuck to babysit you."

"I thought you liked our pranks?" Freddie said.

"We do," Tucker said with a grin. "But Victoire sa…"

"But there's no need for you to run off and create complete and utter chaos when the administrators are already stressed out enough trying to get us all through the barrier so we don't draw attention to ourselves," I said, cutting Tucker off. "Let's just get out of here and head to the Burrow so we can see the family."

"Is Percy going to be there?" James asked.

"He's family, so yes," I replied.

"How many muggles do I have to perform magic in front of to a get a holiday sentence to Azkaban?"

"I don't know James," I sighed. "Why?"

"Because I'd take dementors over Uncle Percy any day," he said in a very serious voice, which earned a laugh from Fred.

"Oh c'mon James," Teddy said. "He's not that bad."

This was semi-true. After the second war, back when my Uncle Harry was seventeen, Uncle Percy had lightened up a ton. Aunt Hermione told me that it was because he had sided with the Ministry instead of the family back when Voldemort began his return to power. When he finally came to his senses and apologized, he had about two minutes with the whole family before Uncle Fred was killed in the Final Battle. He'd been nicer and more open to the family's sense of humor ever since, but he could still be pompous Percy.

"Teddy's right," Freddie agreed. "The only real problem with Uncle Percy is that he married Aunt Audrey and had those stuck up twins of his Molly and Lucy."

"Point!" Teagan and Katie giggled.

Layla nodded. "Those girls are way too much snob for one family."

"Next group," the man in faded gray robes shouted. He pushed me, Teag, and James through the barrier with a grinning Lawden next to my friend. I turned to shoot Freddie a glare but a stone wall had moved between the two of us. Thankfully, before Lawd could say a word, Teddy and Fred appeared next to us with Adelina and Timmy.

"Don't even look at her Marks," Teddy snapped, moving in between Teagan and Lawden, virtually shielding me.

"What are you going to do Lupin?" Lawden smirked. "Pull out your wand and hex me? There are muggles surrounding us, in case you haven't noticed. You really want to get kicked out of school in your last year just because I try to talk to V?"

"No, but I will beat you to a pulp," Ted replied. Knowing he would , though I wasn't quite sure Lawd realized it, I moved past Teagan and rested my hand against my best friend's arm.

"Teddy," I said softly. "Just leave it, okay? Please? He's not worth your time and I just want to go home." I widened my eyes, hoping it made me look innocent and young. It must have worked because Teddy, shooting my ex-boyfriend one last glare, took my hand and led me away from the platform entrance. Layla, Tucker, Teagan, and my cousins followed closely behind us.

"Thanks Ted," I whispered, knowing only my best friend would hear what I had said in the loud train station. He turned to look at me.

"You know the only reason I don't beat that guy up is because you asked me not to, right Rie?"

"I know," I nodded.

"Hey kids," Teagan said, moving closer to the two of us. "Lay and I are ditching. Her mum's here and I just spotted my dad. Have a good Christmas."

"You too dearie," I said quickly, hugging my friend. "Try not to kill the Menta's…Okay?"

She laughed, letting go of me and running off to meet her dad. "Bye babes! Have fun!" Teag called over her shoulder.

"I'm leaving too," Tucker said, giving me a quick hug to which I replied with a kiss on the cheek. "Just spotted my mum. I'll see you lot at the New Year's party."

"Bye!"

Tucker leaving meant it was just us Weasley kids (and Teddy!) now. My cousins scanned the crowd, hoping to see their parents or Granddad. No one, nada, zip. Just a ton of muggles that were completely oblivious to the fact that we had just walked through a stone wall only moments before.

"You don't suppose they forgot us again, do you?" Ted asked finally, glancing at Katie, Fred, James, and I. We all laughed appreciatively as if my friend was making a joke, but even Lily would know that he was being completely serious. Since everyone stayed at the Burrow during the holidays, Nana only ever sent one of her sons to come pick us up, and we had been stranded at the train station before. Nana Molly never let poor Uncle Ron forget it either.

"Nana Molly would kill said person in charge of retrieving us if they did," Katie said after a few moments.

"That's true!" James agreed, searching for his father or the signature Weasley red hair that the rest of my uncles and father possessed.

I glanced around the train station as well, my eyes searching the crowd of people leaving on holiday or picking up loved ones, it was then that I saw him. He was about three inches taller than me with a bright, shaggy mop of red hair that I'm sure Nana would trim the second she got the chance. His face bared a huge resemblance to my father's, complete with several scars running along his jaw line and forehead. But not from werewolf bites like those that ruined my father's complexion. The scars on this man's face were from burns, dragon burns. Uncle Charlie.

"Victoire?" Teddy yelled as I took off towards my uncle. "Where are you going?!" But I ignored him and kept running. I hadn't seen Uncle Charlie since last Christmas. Working in with dragons in Romania kept you pretty much busy year round.

"Uncle Charlie!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around his neck and allowing him to spin me around as if I were five again.

"Victoire Weasley," he laughed, setting me back on my feet. "Sixteen years old and you still greet me the same way your seven year old cousin does!" By this time, the others had made their way over to greet the second oldest Weasley boy. Katie hugged him in a similar fashion that I did, Freddie and James snickered as he ruffled their hair and asked what kind of trouble they'd gotten themselves into lately, and Teddy grinned as they shook hands.

"So," Uncle Charlie said as he magicked our trunks onto the trolley. Fred and James climbed up to ride on top as if they were still little kids. "I do believe the five of you owe me big time considering Mum almost sent Ron to get the lot of you. I volunteered of course, knowing you didn't feel like waiting an extra hour for a ride back to the Burrow."

I laughed. "You know you just wanted to get away from Percy."

"True," my Uncle nodded, "but can you blame me? Kept going on and on about his new work at the French Ministry. All that talk of reports and filing gave me the chills!"

"Because you're a manly-man!" Katie giggled. "And you like risking your neck everyday!"

"That I do! Now pile in," Uncle Charlie said as we reached Granddad's car. For some reason that is unknown to my younger cousins, Uncle George, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Harry always chuckled at the mention of car. Whenever we asked what was so funny about it their wives shot glares in their direction and told them not to give us any ideas. I was fourteen when Granddad confessed the whole story of his old flying car and how it ended up lost in the Forbidden Forest after an adventure in Harry and Ron's second year of Hogwarts. "James and Freddie help me with the trunks…oh stop whining! Your grandmother would wash your mouths out with soap if she ever heard you say that!"

Which was really all my uncle could say in scolding them about their swearing, as he would say it about ten times worse…Working with creatures that tried to burn you to a crisp and then eat you on a daily basis gave you quite the potty mouth.

"All set then?" Uncle Charlie asked on he'd settled into the driver's seat. My cousins and I nodded, how we could move in the tight space was beyond me. Katie was squished between James and her brother in the back seat, something she didn't look to happy about, while I sat on top of Teddy's lap in the passenger seat.

"Granddad really needs to put an expanding charm on this car already," Katie grumbled as Fred and James began a rendition of "99 Bottles of Butterbeer on the Wall", it was going to be a long trip home.

---

Christmas. It's a time when normal people sing carols, decorate gingerbread houses, exchange gifts, and hug family members they haven't seen in months. A time where children run around outside with the family pet in waist-deep snow, building igloos and making snow angels, and then fall asleep curled up by the fireplace. All of this adds up to a normal and perfect Christmas holiday. We Weasleys, we're far from normal.

A Weasley Christmas means James and Freddie screaming songs at the top of their lungs (changing the lyrics in, as Nana puts it, a distasteful way), the Burrow smelling like a gingerbread house for a month while Nana Molly cooks up a feast, Lily blurting out what the package you're opening contains before you can get the bow undone, and being tackled by cousins I see almost every day of my life. It means building up huge walls of snow and never turning your back on the boys in fear of being hit by a snowball and falling asleep on the floor squeezed between my cousins and Ted while Uncle George hurls in the bathroom because he drank too much eggnog. It was a holiday full of chaos, and it was everything I knew and loved.

Currently I was avoiding the family part of that everything I knew and loved, examining old picture albums Nana kept while sitting on the stairs near the kitchen. James and Freddie had already found a stash of candy canes and were running around the house on a sugar high.

"Oh thank Merlin!" I looked up from a picture of Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione at the Burrow to see Aunt Ginny standing in front of me, looking like she regretted ever having that first born of hers. "Victoire could you give your grandmother a hand in the kitchen for me? Alicia and I are on a mission to calm down your cousins, and it's not going very well."

"Does it ever?"

"No," Ginny sighed. "Could you help her for me though Victoire? Please?"

"Of course Aunt Gin," I said, realizing that my aunt was becoming more stressed by the minute. "You go give them the beat down with Aunt Leesh and I'll help Nana."

"Thanks Victoire."

I simply smiled and headed off to the kitchen. As the door came in sight the smell of chocolate chip cookies filled my nose. Nothing was better in this world than my grandmother's chocolate chip cookies.

"Afternoon Nana Molly," I greeted my grandmother cheerily, hoisting my body up to sit on the counter and snatching a freshly baked sugar cookie out of the basket next to my thigh. When she turned around it was very clear that my grandmother hadn't left the kitchen all day. There was a streak of red frosting on her right cheek, almost symmetrical to the green one that was smeared across the left side of her face. Kind of like the intimidation lines American football players wore during their matches, only slanted and not intimidating at all. Her apron was coated in smudges of chocolate and flour covered her forehead.

"Oh, hello dear," she said, surprised to see me. "Have you seen your aunt?"

"Which one?" I asked, stealing a cookie when she turned the other way.

"Drop it," Nana said, her back still turned, as I brought the cookie to my lips. Reluctantly, I put the desert back in the basket I had found it in. "Those are for our friends, not you, and your Aunt Ginny."

"She took off after her son with Aunt Leesh," I replied. "And I will never understand how you do that."

"I had six sons dear; I'm two steps ahead of everything anyone does." She turned to face me. "Do you have any idea when she'll be back? I could really use her help."

"Admitting to needing help?" I gasped in fake surprise. "Nana, you're losing your touch."

"Hardly dear," she chuckled. "Just accepting the fact that I can't do everything by myself anymore. Including cooking dinner for everyone, baking baskets and baskets of sweets, keeping everyone happy and getting those chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate out to your grandfather." She picked up a plate and thermos and held them out to me.

"Of course Nana," I said quickly, taking them from her. "But I was going to help you…"

"Oh just send in one of your Aunts, I'm sure they'd be happy to help."

"Living room?"

"I certainly would expect them to be."

I grinned and headed out of the kitchen towards the family room. As always, the room was heavily decorated (thank you Hugo and Lily) with homemade ornaments created over the years. Then there was the tree, which looked like it would fall over if anything else was put on it. Nana always put it up about a month or so before Christmas in preparation of everyone coming over. Uncle Percy tells her every year that most people don't put up a tree, but she ignored him every time, especially when Aunt Audrey would but in and offer to buy new ornaments. Nana didn't like the idea of having a bunch of unknown ornaments on the tree, she said that the tree was who we were as a family…Aunt Audrey didn't like that a whole lot, she liked to think that decorations should be, as she put it, "elegant and classy"…Aunt Audrey has a lot of nerve.

"Nana needs help in the kitchen," I shouted, being careful to avoid stepping on Rosie and Albus who were playing Exploding Snap on the floor with Katie. Teddy was teaching Lily to dance by the fireplace while Hugo intimidated Celestina Warbeck. Molly and Lucy were seated with their mother in the corner farthest away from everyone else in the room while Uncle Percy chatted up Uncle Charlie and Dad. Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron and Uncle George were discussing Auror and Ministry stuff while Aunt Gin and Aunt Alicia chased James and Freddie in and out of the room.

"I'll go." Andromeda got up from her place on the couch next to Mum and Aunt Hermione moved towards me. "Good to have you home dear," she said as she passed, patting my arm. "Oh and your mother says to say hello to your father."

"Will do," I replied, moving towards Dad and my two uncles. "Hi Daddy." I carefully gave him a one-armed hug, trying to avoid spilling the sweets I was supposed to be taking out to Granddad.

Before Dad could reply, Uncle Percy asked, "How are your classes going Victoire?"

"Fine Uncle Percy," I said.

"What are you studying to be?"

"Well I was thinking of doing some Ministry work originally, but now I've decided that I'm not cut out for that whole cart-pushing, desk-loving work, you know? So this summer my friend Andy is taking me to California with him and he's going to teach me to surf," I tried not to laugh, watching Percy's face become confused and slightly horrified. Next to him, Dad and Uncle Charlie were trying to contain their laughter, already knowing where I was going with this. "I think I'm going to go ahead and take that route, you know? Become a professional surfer in America. But I'm supposed to get these out to Granddad before they get cold, so we'll have to all catch up later." And with that, I left Percy Weasley absolutely horrified that someone related to him was going to throw their schooling down the drain to surf with my dad and Charlie going red in the face from trying not to laugh.

---

"Hey Granddad!" I called out, walking through the door of his tool shed. My grandfather was nowhere to be seen, probably buried beneath the many muggle contraptions and inventions he left piled everywhere. "Nana sent me with hot chocolate and cookies."

"Chocolate chip?!" Granddad lifted his head to look at me, temporarily ignoring the pile of plungers in front of him.

"What else?" I grinned, moving a box off the work bench and setting down the treats. He motioned for me to take a seat, pushing aside the latest muggle objects he was investigating.

"How've you been Victoire?" My granddad asked, taking a long sip of hot chocolate.

"Really good, glad to be home from school though."

"What are you planning on going into once you graduate?"

"Erm, no idea actually," I confessed. "Mum wants me to look into law enforcement, but not like the fun stuff like Uncle Harry, the in-the-Ministry-everyday stuff. Which I'm just not interested. I was thinking I might start off something in the business area. But other than that I'm completely lost…Just don't tell Uncle Percy. He thinks I'm going to California with my friend Andy to become a professional surfer."

Granddad chuckled and then stayed silent for a moment, thinking. "I took your Grandmother to California once, back before your father was born." I smiled, remembering the story he used to tell Teddy and me when we were kids and slept over at the Burrow. "I was so fascinated by the idea of balancing on top of a board in the middle of the ocean, gave Molly a panic attack just thinking about it though. I was excellent at it though. Only fell off a few times."

"A few meaning every time you stood up if I do recall the story correctly," I said.

"Yes well," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Is this Andy your boyfriend?"

"Nah, just a good friend I met this year around Halloween."

"And what about Ted?" Granddad asked with a knowing look on his face.

"What about him?" I replied.

"Are you two…?"

"What?! Me and Teddy? Not a chance Granddad. We're just friends."

"Whatever you say dear," he said with that look still plastered on his face.

"Granddad…" I started.

"I think that's your Grandmother calling me," he cut me off. Before I could say anything else he was on his feet and out the door, heading back up to the house.

I sighed and got up to follow, walking slowly across the frost-covered ground. Is that how people saw Teddy and me, as a couple? I mean, I know Lawden always thought something going on between my best friend and I, but did my family think so too? Ted and I had always been a close as possible, but we had grown up together. He had been there since the very first day I was born, and we'd been attached at the hip ever since. But we weren't like, acting like a couple…Were we?

"Hey!" Speak of the devil; Teddy was standing a few feet in front of me. "Nana Molly wants a picture of all of us kids by the tree. James tried to argue it but Nana insisted that she never sees all of us together so she wants as many pictures of us all as possible. No one had the guts to argue that we spend all summer here."

I tried to grin, but I could tell by the way my friend's face fell that it wasn't very convincing.

"What's wrong?" Ted asked, concerned.

"Teddy, does it ever seem like everyone else thinks that you and I are a couple?"

"What you mean like Marks and them at school? Yeah, but they're dumb Rie."

"No, like the family. Like my parents and aunts and uncles. Has Andromeda ever said anything to you?"

"Is that what has you looking all upset?" he chuckled. "Rie, everyone knows that we're best friends. Plain and simple. None of your family thinks that we're dating. And Grandmum certainly doesn't think that we're together. That would be completely crazy Rie. Now come on before Nana Molly flips out on everyone."

I tried to stop thinking about it, truly I did. But for some reason I felt like everyone was staring as Teddy pulled me into the living room by the hand. Teddy would say that I was being paranoid. But suddenly I felt like everyone was thinking that we were either together, or that maybe we should be.

"Smile," Teddy whispered and I plastered a grin on my face. "And stop thinking about it Rie, your psychotic." My smile widened and I did as I was told, forgetting Granddad's suggestions that Ted and I were…you know…dating. Maybe I was psychotic, but something in my stomach hurt as I thought about how quickly my friend said that the two of us together as a real couple was a crazy idea.

** A/N: Yayyyyy! I'm back for a chappie. First off, thanks all for understanding those dreadful months without updates. Second, I know this is short, and I know it's rushed at the end. But I really wanted to get this submitted today. Third, YAYYYYYYYYY! :) Here's the deal: Finals week starts the 19th for me, and after that I hope to be better about updating kids. So REVIEW!REVIEW!REVIEW! Because I gave up extra hours of sleep for you lovely people!**


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